There’s also a more natural, less expensive treatment that can help — the hormone melatonin. This is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and sets the circadian rhythm of sleep and waking. It’s for sale in capsule form in stores and online.

A study funded by the NIMH found that most symptoms of SAD were caused by the body getting “out-of-sync with the sun” in winter. Melatonin was a logical choice to try re-setting them.

It did work, researchers found, combined with light therapy — but both treatments had to happen at the right time of day.

A person’s rhythms are considered in sync when his pineal gland starts secreting melatonin about six hours before the middle of his night’s sleep. In most of the 68 SAD sufferers taking part in the study, the interval was shorter than six hours, suggesting it had been thrown off by the shortening of the days in winter. A few of the subjects had longer intervals.

All the subjects had light therapy in the mornings. The ones with longer intervals also took melatonin in the mornings. The subjects with shorter intervals took it in the afternoons.

The NIMH says this “more than doubled their improvement in depression scores”, compared to the control groups, who got a placebo or simply took melatonin at a less optimal time.

Melatonin has potential as a future treatment for SAD.

• Eat healthy. Try to each a lot of fruits and vegetables and minimize the carbs. Carbs are easier and faster to eat on the go but a lot worse for you! Pizza is fast but loaded with oils and fat from the cheeses. Although a healthier diet may be a tad more expensive, you have to allocate your funds accordingly. For example, if things are that tight, be mature enough to make the decision to save your $20 cover charge for the local bar and put it towards produce one week. In the long run, you will be healthier for it!
• Be healthy. Try to exercise 3-5 times a week. You could do 7 times per week but just don’t burn yourself out. Exercise relieves stress and makes you physically and mentally healthier.
• Look healthy. Try to get to sleep at a reasonable time each night. Yes, 8 hours is enough sleep, but when you can take advantage of getting more! You do not want to show up to class wit circles under your eyes and looking like you were out partying when you were really up studying!
• Stay Healthy. Try your very hardest to establish and maintain a balance between work and play. Try not to do homework on a Friday afternoon if it is not absolutely necessary. Make that afternoon a relaxing one and do something you enjoy.
• Love Healthy. Love how healthy you are. Take pride in your work, yourself, and your efforts to stay healthy. People will follow when they see your plan working for you.

You know what I am talking about– The Freshman 15!

It is not that hard to avoid gaining the extra pounds; you just really have to take care of yourself. It is natural to gain some weight as you grow into your adult body, but there are obviously ways to avoid gaining an excessive amount of weight.

So, what exactly causes the Freshman 15 to happen?

• Stress. Not just the stress of classes, but social stress, personal stress, and more. Stress creates an imbalance in the body and does not allow the body to function normal.
• Easy access to snacks. There are vending machines everywhere when you are in college and the quickest way to get some food in your stomach is to just grab a snack rather than swiping for a meal in the dining hall or cooking food at home. Snacking with unhealthy foods such as chips, cookies and candy are never a good solution. However, snacking on an apple or a granola bar would definitely be a step in the right direction. Also, an apple or a granola bar will make you feel much more energized and healthier.
• Late night dining. Yes, the Europeans do it, but in America, late night dining is a major issue. Because most of the late night dining options are take-out Chinese or pizza, these “meals” are never good. In any event, eating late is never good for your stomach.
• Last, but not least, the alcohol. There are so many calories in alcohol! Not only that, but there are more unhealthy things associated with it that contribute to the Freshman 15.

Try to avoid it by taking good care of yourself!

According to the Mayo Clinic web site, there are general guidelines for the amount of sleep required, based on age.  Dr. Kenneth Berge recommends the following, “Infants typically sleep at least 16 hours a day. Most preschoolers need at least 11 hours of sleep a night, and most school-age children need at least 10 hours of sleep a night. By the teenage years, nine hours of sleep a night is usually adequate.”

So, if you put your 3 year old to bed at 7:30 pm, you should expect her to sleep until about 6:30 am.  Of course, different households have different schedules, so for some houses 7:30 is the perfect bedtime, while at another it may be 9:00 pm.  As long as your child is able to sleep late enough to get the required amount of sleep, the exact bedtime doesn’t matter.

Once school begins, then bedtime becomes more important.  A first grader can’t go to bed at 10:00 pm on a school night, get ten hours of sleep, and be on time for school.  When your child reaches school-age (or needs to go to daycare), bedtime can be established by working backward.  Determine what time your child needs to wake and count back the appropriate amount of hours.

A last, but important, note on this topic is that every child is not the same.  So, even though teenagers typically require nine hours of sleep, that doesn’t mean that your 16 year old son does.  He may need ten hours and has to go to bed at 8:00 pm in order to be up at 6:00 am.  Conversely, your 14 year old daughter may need eight hours of sleep and can go to bed at 10:00 pm and wake at 6:00 am without a problem.

While many kids will tell you they’re not tired and don’t need to go to bed at whatever time you have chosen, as a parent, you can determine if your child is right quite easily.  Let your daughter go to bed half an hour later than you have recommended.  Does she wake up on time in the morning, or does she sleep through her alarm?  Is she tired later in the day?  If so, she needs more sleep.  However, if you make your daughter’s bedtime later, and she awakes on time and doesn’t appear drowsy later in the day, a later bedtime may be acceptable.

The symptoms of jet lag are not the same for every person. It also depends on the number of time zones you crossed and the direction you took. The most common symptoms are headache, fatigue, problems with digestion, irritability and some disorientation. Of course, no one would like to have those symptoms during the holidays, so here are some tips that may help you handle holiday jet lag:

1. Sleep. This is the most obvious way of preventing jet lag. Be sure to get a good and restful night’s sleep before a flight. If you are scheduled to arrive in the morning, try to sleep on the plane, but if you are scheduled to arrive in the evening try to stay awake. This will help your body adjust to the new time zone when you arrive.

2. Drink lots of water before the flight and avoid coffee and other beverages with caffeine because they will dehydrate you. Be sure to drink at least a glass of water every hour during the flight. Alcohol is also not advisable.

Here are things that you can do to help minimize the symptoms of jet lag when you arrive at your destination:

1. Get yourself a good salt bath or go to the beach to have a dip in the sea, this is said to help balance your electromagnetic system.

2. If you arrive in the morning, be sure to get some sunshine immediately, a few minutes of morning sun will help your body set its orientation.

3. Get moving immediately. Walk, climb stairs (avoid escalators and elevators), and don’t think about time zones.

If you do the above things, you’ll be able to minimize the effects of jet lag and you’ll be able to enjoy the holidays more.

Although Chronic Fatigue Syndrome  has no known cause, there are some known ways of treating it, and most of these treatment are directed at relieving the symptoms. There are medicines that can treat some of the symptoms like muscle pains, sleep problems, anxiety and depression but many of the other symptoms can best be treated the natural way. Here are some things that will help a person suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome deal with the disease more easily:

• Enjoy your chocolate. In the past, people with CFS were advised to refrain from eating chocolates because it was believed that the caffeine and sugar in it may worsen the symptoms. But recent studies show that chocolate may actually help because it can boost the level of serotonin in the body, which is abnormally low on people with CFS. Serotonin has many functions which include control of appetite, mood, and anger.

• Be active. Although it is difficult to be active when one is feeling so fatigued, it is important for a person suffering from CFS to keep up some level of activity and exercise. Short brisk walks in the morning can help a lot. Don’t allow the fatigue to completely pull you down, but avoid exercising too much because people with CFS usually experience extreme tiredness that sometimes lasts for 24 hours after exercising.

• Try doing activities that require concentration. If your mind is left weighted down by the fatigue you feel, the symptoms will become more pronounced. By doing activities that make use of the mind, like reading and writing, you can fight the dead weight of CFS, which could be all in the mind.

• Try to socialize. If you are around people, your mind will be more active and this can help lead to recovery from the illness.

• It is also advisable to seek the advise of your doctor on what activities are best suited to you. Your doctor can give you a program to follow which is specifically designed to help you deal with an otherwise debilitating illness.

• Magnesium is a sleep booster, so eating magnesium-rich food during the day can help you sleep better through the night. Dark leafy green vegetables, almonds, cashews, and whole grains all are rich in magnesium. Magnesium supplements also exist.
• You may be familiar with hops as an ingredient in beer, however, hops are also a mild natural sedative. Similar to magnesium, a supplement of 30 to 120 milligrams may ease you to sleep.
• Aromatherapy is one of the many soothing techniques that has been known to lessen insomnia. Lavender, specifically, is a cheap and natural remedy that you can find in many forms. You could buy a naturally-scented lavender infuser or even a lavender-filled pillow!
• One of the most important factors of falling asleep simply is being calm. This aspect will have different solutions for everyone, but many find it helpful to have a warm drink, such as milk or caffeine-free tea, although too much can lead to bathroom stops during the night. Yoga and meditation are techniques that may take extra time, but have been known to provide a deeper sleep and leave one feeling even better in the morning.
• Valerian is a natural and effective sleep aid that has been proven to work. Taking 200 to 800 milligrams before sleep has helped many former insomniacs and is better than medicines because it allegedly does not trigger the “hangover” effect that is common. However, the FDA does not regulate herbal supplements, so finding an effective formula of valerian root may take some searching. There currently is no standardized formula.
• Last but not least, cut out the caffeine in your diet. (Perhaps the easiest concept, but hardest to actually follow through with.)

• Bundle up. The cold beats down upon your immune system and the easiest way to counter this is simply to stay warm. Don’t hesitate to put on the extra layers, and add your scarf and mittens!
• Be more alert of getting the right vitamins and minerals to help your immune system. Keep many fruits and vegetables in your diet. If you’re having trouble eating that cold apple or carrot on a cold day, try to think of warmer recipes. Vegetable soups are great, and baked apples can make magnificent desserts. Taking vitamin and mineral supplements isn’t a bad idea, but you should not use them to replace healthy fresh foods.
• Improve your hygiene habits. Covering your coughs and washing your hands more often will be the best way to prevent the spread of germs. When you use a tissue, throw it out immediately.
• Overlooked ways to keep your immune system strong are to stay active and get enough sleep. As long as you put on some extra layers and be extra careful on the road, running is a good option, but you may want to consider indoor alternatives. Dust off that treadmill or perhaps take up dancing! Being active keeps your immune system at its peak, but don’t forget, you need rest as well. Missing out on sleep attacks your immune system just as much as cold weather.
• Let the fresh air in. Even if it’s cold outside, open your windows each day to freshen up the air in your home.

Insomnia can be either primary or secondary. Primary insomnia means that the inability to sleep itself is the main problem; it is not due to other health issues. Secondary insomnia occurs because other health problems interfere with sleep. The worst form of insomnia is chronic insomnia, which occurs at least thrice a week and has the duration of one month or more.

Various treatment options are available for chronic insomnia, including drug medications and behavioral therapy. In most cases, the behavioral technique is preferred because of its long term positive effect on the patient. Studies reveal that medications are equally effective in making people sleep, but it does not cure the condition, it merely masks it. In addition, frequent and prolonged use may result in drug dependency.

Behavioral therapy is effective for all age groups. This technique involves stimulus control, cognitive behavioral therapy, paradoxical intention, progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback, sleep restrictions, and imaginary tasks. All the above-mentioned behavioral treatments are effective, though its result may vary from person to person.

Stimulus control, in particular, is now considered to be a standard behavioral treatment for primary chronic insomnia. The treatment basically helps the individual regain the perception that beds are for sleeping. It is simple in the sense that you are only required to go to bed when you’re ready to sleep. And if you’re unable to sleep, you should get up and go to another room. Maintaining a consistent waking-up time is also part of this treatment.

If you want to increase your concentration, take a short nap of about twenty minutes. If you want to boost your creativity, take a nap that is about 90 minutes long—or long enough to give you a good dose of REM sleep.

You want to sleep either less than forty-five minutes or more than ninety. If you wake up in between the two, you’ll feel groggy and out of sorts because you are interrupting a deep sleep cycle.

Go ahead and lie down. It takes as much as fifty percent longer to fall asleep when you are sitting up (as with airplane flights).

Try to regulate your temperature, the warmer you are, the more you’ll sleep, but the cooler you are, the harder time you will have falling asleep in the first place.

Use white noise to drown out the background noise that accompanies sleeping during the day (kids playing, dogs barking, etc)

Try not to take a nap too close to the time you want to go to bed for the night because you might have a hard time falling asleep. Pay attention to your natural circadian rhythms, and take a nap when you feel sleepy during the afternoon.

You know that naps can be beneficial and now, thanks to these helpful hints, you’ll know how to make the most of your naptime!

Insomnia may be what is robbing you of sleep. Ask yourself if it takes more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night. Do you awake at night and then have trouble getting back to sleep? If these problems continue for a few nights than you will have sleep deprivation. Insomnia can be helped by sleeping earlier, sleeping later or maybe a nap will help.

Depression will change one’s sleep patterns. If you have persistent feelings of hopelessness or a consistent decrease in energy perhaps you should be evaluated to determine if the cause of not getting enough sleep is depression.

Also, bed wetting can deprive you of sleep.  If so, you should contact a physician.

Thyroid irregularities may also be the culprit. There is a blood test that measures the TSH levels to determine if one has an overactive thyroid that is stealing away their sleep

When the soft palate, uvula, tongue, tonsils and /or muscles in the back of the throat rub against each other they generate the vibrating sound of snoring during sleep.

This is an anatomical problem and those who are obese have bulky neck tissue which increases the risk of snoring. Losing 10% of ones weight can help this anatomical problem. The number one cause of snoring is obesity.

If that breathing area is suppressed by any kind of sedation then snoring will occur which is what happens with late night alcohol consumption or sleeping pills.

If nasal congestion is causing the blockage then a steam vaporizer that clears out the passages will help.

If your physician determines that you have an overly floppy palate or larger-than average tonsils or uvula, he may recommend surgery. Only if you have sleep apnea will critical illness cover companies generally cover the procedure.

If all else fails, you can become an astronaut because they are less likely to snore when in space because in zero-G the throat muscles are less prone to collapsing!