Life, they say, is like a wheel. Sometimes youâ??re up; sometimes youâ??re down. But if your mood stays that way most of the day or everyday, chances are you have bipolar disorder - a mental disorder that affects 222 million people worldwide and is the sixth leading cause of disabilities worldwide.

Bipolar disorder is a serious and debilitating mental illness that is also known as manic-depression or manic-depressive illness. This mood disorder often affects adults and may persist throughout life.

â??Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a personâ??s mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But there is good news: bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives,â? according to the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

The manic phase of this disorder is characterized by feelings of euphoria, extreme optimism, and a high self-esteem. There is rapid speech, agitation, and reckless behavior. Other symptoms are poor concentration, difficulty sleeping, poor judgment, and an unrealistic belief in oneâ??s abilities and powers.

In the depressive phase, the patient may have persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety or guilt, sleep problems, loss of appetite, irritability, chronic pain with no known cause, and recurring thoughts of suicide.

The exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown but doctors believe the condition may be caused by physical changes in the brain, environment or a hormonal imbalance. Aside from alcohol abuse, the disease may be inherited and caused by periods of high stress or drug abuse.

â??Often beginning in adolescence or early adulthood, bipolar disorder has a profound negative effect on interpersonal, social, family and vocational outcomes and is a risk factor for substance abuse and suicide Recent reports have noted that up to 25 percent of bipolar disorder patients will attempt suicide at some point in the course of their illness,â? said experts at the Lundbeck Institute in Denmark.

If you have bipolar disorder, youâ??re in good company. Among the famous sufferers of the disease were the British novelist Virginia Woolf, Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, and German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

Woolf, author of â??To the Lighthouseâ? and â??Orlandoâ?, had mood swings that were characterized by feverish periods of writing and weeks immersed in gloom. Mental problems plagued Van Gogh in the last few yeas of his life. Unable to control his depression, he walked to the fields and he shot himself in the chest. He died two days later at the age of 37. On the other hand, Beethoven suffered from long bouts of depression and longed for death. As his disease progressed, he withdrew from the world and drank himself to death.

Fortunately, proper treatment can help patients stabilize their mood swings and manage the disease. If you have any of the above symptoms, seek medical help. To enhance your memory and support healthy brain function, take Neurovar. For more information on this powerful supplement, go to http://www.neurovar.com/.

Sharon Bell
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/millions-suffer-from-bipolar-disorder-322452.html

okay, I need something that I can buy over the counter,

Nyquill is not fast enough

I am looking for something where I take it and then 10-15 mins later BOOM, dreamland.

If you are not alcoholic, use few spoons of wine mix with some juice. It works for me very well. Or take a benedryl.

Amantadine is an antiviral drug. It is used to prevent or treat certain influenza infection. Amantadine will not work for colds, other types of flu, or other virus infection. It is also given as an adjunct for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. It has been demonstration that this medication, through some unknown mechanism, is sometimes effective in relieving in multiple sclerosis.

In deciding to use a medicine, the side effect of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This will help you and your doctor to make sure that you are fit to take this medication.

Before you start with this medication, tell your doctor if you have ever any unusual or allergic reaction to amantadine. Also, tell if you have nay other allergy related to foods, preservation, or dyes. In case if you are pregnant or breast-feeding inform you doctor. Amantadine passes into breast milk. However, the effect of amantadine in newborn babies and infants are not seen. Your doctor may suggest taking some other pills or stopping breast-feeding during your treatment.

In case you are taking some other medication then it should be stop because in other cases two medicine may be used together even if an interaction might occur while taking amantadine. Your doctor may want to change the dose or other precaution may be necessary. When you are taking amantadine, it is especially important that your health care professional must know all your health history.

The adverse reaction that may go away as your body adjusts to the medication and do not require medical attention unless they continue or are bothersome difficulty concentrating, dizziness, headache, irritability. Loss of appetite, nausea, nervousness, purplish red, net-like, blotchy spots on skin, trouble, sleeping, constipation, dryness of mouth, vomiting.

In case, you found some serous health problem report as soon as possible to your physician. Since it might be difficult to know certain common symptoms of MS and some side effects of amantadine.

For more information on amantadine, log on to http://www.benzer11.com/amantadine.html

Olivia Andrews
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/amantadine-antiviral-drug-95990.html

I take Melatonin and it works great most always, but is there a better one?

VALARIAN ROOT IS ALL NATURAL WILL HELP WITH SLEEPING.
GOOD LUCK

Searching for a sign of anxiety attacks is kind of looking for a needle in a haystack. The thing it is not quite as concrete. At least with the needle, once you’ve found it you know that it’s a needle; it feels like a needle, it looks like a needle, and it likely is a needle. With a of anxiety attacks, it could just as likely be a symptom to a great misdiagnosed problem as it could be a sign of anxiety attacks. Seeking good professional help is the most important key to solving this mystery.

Fear is your body’s natural reaction to a lot of outside stimuli. It is normal for the body to react in such a way as to become anxious or fearful because this often protected our ancestors from a lot of problems and harm. It is not normal, however, for our bodies to be overtaken with fear to the point that physical symptoms begin to arise because of it. When this happens, it is usually the sign of a larger problem.

There are many common types of anxiety: fear, panic, worry, dread, obsession, and compulsion are just a few. Clearly, anxiety comes in a variety of forms and is not only represented by fear. It is also quite common. Most people experience anxiety in some form, experiencing it before or after stressful situations like a traumatic event or an important meeting with the boss of your company. Other times the anxiety comes quickly and without warning and for no reason at all.

Anxiety can Affect your Relationships

An anxiety disorder is a more disabling feeling of anxiety that actually is constant and consuming. Anxiety disorder causes people to completely withdraw emotionally and often physically from their family and friends. It can cause people to withdraw indoors and avoid social activities for reasons involving fear. An anxiety attack, conversely, is an unexpected episode that usually involves fear as oppose to an overwhelming feeling.

A sign of anxiety attacks can be anything from irregular heartbeats to chest pain. They also include: shaking, twitching, trembling, hot flashes, chills, “rubber legs”, tingling in extremities, difficulty sleeping, unpredictable sleeping patterns, body tension, aches and pains, sweating, clamminess, and stomach problems such as nausea or “butterflies”.

There are also emotional signs including: fearfulness, a feeling of terror, insecurity, incredible self-consciousness, irritability, apprehension, dread, a desire to escape, a feeling you are going to perish, and other frightening emotions. These emotions are sometimes very hard to deal with. It is always recommended that you discuss your findings and experience with your doctor. Your doctor can direct you in the right direction for getting help and ending your anxiety.

Feel free to visit some of my sites Stop Anxiety Attacks and Stop Anxiety Now

Paul Schmitt
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/searching-for-a-sign-of-anxiety-attacks-41477.html

I am about to fly to Japan and will need to sleep in the plane. I generally cant get any sleep when I fly and I am looking for an over the counter sleeping aids medication to relaxe me a little. Which one would you recommend?

There are basically just two options when it comes to over the counter sleeping aids. You have your antihistamines, and you have your herbal-based aids. Antihistamines work by affecting your central nervous system, making it slow down and thus causing you to feel drowsy. It is the same sort of medication used for many anti-allergy medications, which is why some of those cause drowsiness.

Your best bet would be to go to http://www.bestoverthecountersleepaids.com/ the site reviews such sleeping aid treatments.

Enjoy your trip !

If you have a snoring problem, you might be wondering if it can be passed on to your children. Unfortunately, the answer is yes. According to research published in the journal “Chest” children with at least one parent who snored are 3 times more likely to snore themselves (compared to children whose parents did not snore).

Snoring can be a warning signal for an affliction known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA causes breathing to stop while sleeping, due to obstructed air passages.

Snoring is a sign of difficulty breathing, but it is breathing at least. OSA can cause the sufferer to stop breathing for periods of over 10 seconds while sleeping, which then causes them to wake up gasping and choking for air.

This isn’t only a problem in the night either. OSA often leaves its victims with sore throats and headaches when they wake up in the morning. Lack of sleep due to OSA can lead to lack of concentration, bad behavior and general irritability.

If OSA goes untreated, it can lead to an increase in blood pressure, low oxygen levels in the blood and a greater chance of heart attack and stroke.

In the study done by “Chest”, 681 children from Cincinnati Childrens Hospital medical center were studied. The research also found that African-American children were about three times more likely to snore than other races.

Plus, it was found that children who test positive for Atopy (an indicator of allergies and asthma) were twice as likely to snore as those who tested negative.

The benefits of the study include identification of children who snore so the doctors could more accurately determine those that were at a higher risk of sleep disorders. This would allow them to work with the parents to help minimize any long-term damage, at the early stages or even before the problem materialized.

Thomas Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/are-your-kids-going-to-inherit-your-snoring-problem-86202.html

They maybe aren’t physically addictive, i.e you may not get withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking them, but they will probably be mentally addictive in the sense you may think that you can’t do without them

Today’s high stress world has been playing havoc with our sleep. Sleep Disorders increase as stress increases and as we age. Sleep comprises one third of our life, and controls everything from hormones to sell rejuvenation.

Stress and anxiety are not difficult to manage. Relaxation practices may not sound realistic or viable. Many people do not understand how sitting on the floor and raising the arms slowly will improve your health. However, you need to step back and understand the Pavlov effect.

This phenomenon is simply the power to train your brain to respond the way you want it to. Raising and lowering your arms while in the Lotus position have minimal medical benefits on its own, but its ability to train your body to respond the way you want it to is a proven medical fact. Relaxing mediation can reinforce your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.

Insomnia - This results in difficulty falling asleep, waking up regularly in the night, and waking up tired.

Sleep apnia - you stop breathing during sleep that can result in mood and memory disorders. It is caused when muscles at the back of the mouth loose control and cannot keep the air passages open

Brockism - clenching and grinding teeth at night. Some people do this in the day, but others do it at night. This can cause ringing in the ear, headaches, lack of sleep, and pain.

REM Behavior Disorder - people act out their dreams. They talk and move in their sleep. They lack the muscle paralysis that most people experience while sleeping. They often do not feel rested when they wake up in the morning.

RLS, Restless Leg Syndrome - burning, creeping, and tugging in the legs make you want to move them. No one is sure what causes RLS.

Narcolepsy - overwhelming fatigue and seizures can be mistaken for epilepsy and depression.

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

Finding the reason why you are having trouble sleeping is not always easy. One way is to go to bed a few nights without a clock. Sleep until you wake up. This will tell you how much sleep time your body needs. Everyone is different. Some people can experience a good night’s sleep in 4 hours. Others need six and even nine hours.

The old wives’ tale that people need eight hours sleep, and anything beyond that is laziness is a myth that has been proven several times by medical research.

Sleep Hygiene

Sleep Hygiene is important to a good night sleep. The first thing, only use your bed for sleep and sex. This helps your brain associate the brain with sleep only. There are some reports that claim that people who watch television prior to sleep do not go through all three stages of sleep, or sleep as well.

Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol prior to sleep and do not exercise before bedtime. This can send the brain mixed signals

Train Your Brain to Shut Down

This is a Pavlo theory in practice. It can train your body to fall asleep at the same time every night. If you can’t fall asleep after 30 minutes, read a book or listen to music. Do not lay and stare at the wall.

Keeping a regular sleep routine starts before it is time to go to bed. The routine relaxes the body and alerts the brain to switch to sleep mode. This helps it prepare for sleep.

A hot bath can also relax the body and activate the part of the brain that controls the sleep functions.

Also, avoid the ‘jet lag syndrome.’ People who have sleep problems should not stay awake late to watch a movie or go out to a party. This can mess up their sleep routine, and put their natural sleep-wake routine out of sync.

Ethan Miller
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/sleep-disorders-139706.html

Right now I take Ambien, but I always have to get a prescription for it. I need something I can go run and get at the store if I need it.

What really works? Does anything work as good as Ambien?

Try http://insomnia-sleeplessness.blogspot.com/
It will help you a lot, and for free.