6 Techniques to Sleep Better After a Stroke

Sleep is an integral part of human life and is essential for a healthy brain. Brain, the most significant organ that uses almost 20% of the total oxygen consumption, needs a sufficient amount of rest and medical support in order to recover especially after a major health condition like a stroke.

Disrupted sleep is one of the common post-stroke effects faced by many stroke survivors. Due to lack of sleep, the brain feels tired after a stroke. Doctors recommend at least 9 to 10 hours of sleep for stroke patients as sleep is the key to a speedy recovery. Making the recovery difficult, sleep disruptions affect many individuals after a stroke.

Lack of sleep not only causes depression and stress but also increases the intensity of the other symptoms such as memory loss, fatigue and nausea. Sleep helps the brain to clean after itself while flushing out the toxins. Sleeplessness may build-up the toxic substances in the brain, further damaging it on top of the stroke.

If you are a stroke survivor who is experiencing excessive sleep, feel blessed and continue to sleep for a sufficient amount of time. If you are a person facing difficulty in getting adequate sleep, seek doctor help. In addition, the following tips and simple lifestyle changes could help you in getting better sleep.

• Relax the Stressed Mind - A stressful mind could never be relaxed and it is next to impossible to make it sleep. Practice various stress relieving activities such as simple physical activities like jogging and walking.
• Meditation and Yoga - Make meditation and yoga as part of your regular life. Especially, yoga shows an enormous effect on sleep disorders as it works as the best medicine to relax the body and mind. Practice meditation and pranayama as they are proven to be best solutions for sleeplessness.
• Air Flow Improvement Using Medications - The breathing patterns may get affected due to the side-effects of a stroke. Check for the blocks and signs of sleep apnea and other breathing disorders to help the individual to have a better sleep. Sleep gets disrupted if the person is facing any breathing issues.
• Develop and Stick to a Daily Sleeping Routine - It is the common sleep tip that could work wonders. Train your body and brain by going to bed at a particular time every day. After a certain point of time, the brain starts feeling sleepy as soon as the clocks tick that time.
• Avoid Sleeping During Day - If you are finding it difficult to sleep at night, never take the naps during the daytime, irrespective of their small tenure. If you just include moderate physical activity (based on the body support), your body drives you to the bed as the time arrives.
• Use the Bright Light Therapy - Stroke may leave your biological cycles disrupted and it may require some effort to catch the rhythm again. Use the Bright Light Therapy technique that helps people to readjust their inner clocks. This is a simple practice that is performed in the bright light of the morning for 30 minutes. This activity also helps in getting vitamin D which helps in better sleep. 

In addition, ensure your bedroom is dimly lit, the pillow and mattress are comfortable. Few people respond better to the aroma and music therapy. Try them to see if they are working for you. Keep the room temperature at the suitable levels. 

Sleep plays a significant role in the recovery of the people who have survived a stroke. Use these techniques along with medical help for a quality sleep during the recovery stages of a stroke.

The Relationship Between Iron and Parkinson

"Eat a lot of green vegetables, they are full of iron" - this is what our mothers used to lecture us every day.  Iron is good for health but excess iron can be harmful as in the case of  Parkinson's disease. Surprising but true, brain iron levels have been found to be high in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the midbrain. Hallgren and Sourander state that there is no iron in the brain at birth but the brain iron levels accumulate rapidly during adolescence and early adulthood. In patients with Parkinson's disease, abnormal iron concentration has been found in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra.  This has led to a discussion on the relationship between iron and Parkinson's disease.

How can excess brain iron levels affect patients with Parkinson's disease?

Excess iron is found in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease. This excess iron in the neurons has been found to impair cellular recycling causing toxic oxidative stress. This oxidative stress plays a major role in the death of neurons in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Research from the Anderson Lab at the Buck Institute of Research on Ageing in California has revealed that iron reduces the ability of neurons to perform cellular recycling. The excess iron damages the lysosomes within the cells, thereby affecting their ability to recycle damaged proteins.

 It is the function of the lysosomes to store iron in the cell in such a way that it does not participate in oxidative reactions. Since the lysosomes are damaged,  the excess iron enters the neurons causing their death.  With age, the ability of the lysosomes to recycle proteins diminishes, thereby creating more protein garbage. One such abnormal protein aggregate present in patients with Parkinson's disease is the Lewy bodies which are responsible for this ailment.

All this is due to the excess iron present in the basal ganglia of patients with Parkinson's disease.

University of Washington's research scientists revealed that people who consumed higher quantities of iron are more likely to be prone to Parkinson's disease and their risk is doubled.

The only way to combat this ailment is to adopt the right Parkinson disease diet.

Parkinson Disease Diet

Consume

• Fibre-rich food like whole grains, broccoli, peas, beans
• Tree nuts like hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios
• Berries like blueberries, cranberries, goji berries and elderberries
• Bland food like saltine crackers or plain bread
• Lots of water- 8 cups daily
• Levodopa which is the best medication for Parkinson's disease on an empty stomach half an hour before meals as per doctor's advice

Reduce

• Sugar
• Salt
• Dairy products
• Ice-cold drinks
• Orange, grapefruit or acidic beverages

Dos and don'ts

• Sip all liquids slowly. Drink a little water or juice after each bite of food to help you swallow.
• Dunk bread or crackers in milk to swallow them easily.
• Mix all foods with gravies or sauces to swallow easily
• Consume liquids between meals.
• Eat small portions of meals  frequently
• Avoid oily, fried, sugary or greasy foods.
• Avoid coffee, tea, chocolate or soda
• Avoid mouthwashes
• Don't mix hot and cold foods. Have food at room temperature

Foods that patients with Parkinson's disease can have

• Ice cream and custard
• Sandwiches and nachos with cheese
• Greek yoghurt
• Eggs
• Granola bars
• Crackers with peanut butter
• Cereals 

Parkinson's support programs must discuss the use of Parkinson's disease diet in order to create awareness about the disease, its relationship with iron and the right foods to be consumed.

Gait Training to Improve Balance in Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s Disease (PD), an age-related neurodegenerative movement disorder, is associated with the following cardinal manifestations- 

• Bradykinesia(slowness of movement)
• Tremors
• Gait Disturbances
• Rigidity in mobility

Difficulties with walking and balance are common in patients with Parkinson’s disease. These problems result in reduced mobility, more trips and falls, social isolation issues, reduced quality of life and increased mortality rates. The balancing issues and postural instabilities are also likely to cause more physical injuries and fractures dominantly in PD patients. Therefore effective management of walking and balance impairments is crucial.

Characteristic Gait Patterns and Kinematics in PD 

With disease progression, the symptoms of gait impairments worsen. Typical gait impairments include

• Decrease in co-ordination

• Hypokinesia wherein therein there is reduction of both step-length and speed.

• Festination which is characterized by decreased step length accompanied by increased cadence

• Freezing of Gait(FOG) which is the inability to produce effective steps or complete pause in stepping due to gait initiation

• Difficulty in performing dual tasks during gait

Gait kinematic changes include modifications in the excursion of hip and ankle joints. This leads to flat foot or toe-heel sequence in walking as PD progresses. So PD patients are likely to have primitive gait patterns rather than adult gait patterns. Specifically flat-footed gait reduces the ability to step over hurdles or even walk properly in carpeted areas which is dangerous for patients. There are also alterations in hip flexion which in turn may change the way the ankle is exerted while walking. These disorders can be largely managed by appropriate exercise regimes.

Gait Training Therapy

Gait training includes various techniques for improving balance and achieving co-ordination:

• Flexibility Exercises: Substantial numbers of PD patients have shown improvement in walking after doing flexibility exercises and following relaxation techniques. This training focuses on Parkinson’s Exercise Therapy through stretching, improving balance and range of movement activities done at least thrice a week for the duration of six months. Significant improvement in walking patterns can be achieved by the right combination of warming up exercise, technique training, endurance training and cooling down activities for de-stressing.

• Activities for enhancing Strength: Progressive resistance training can be beneficial particularly to patients with mild to moderate PD. It involves exercises for strengthening muscles and aerobic training using bicycle or treadmill for increasing physical fitness. This helps in improving aerobic capacities, muscular strength, walking, posture and balancing limitations.

• Balance Training: This can be done by using balance board systems and video demonstrations. It helps in improving selective measures of balance and gait in PD adults. Additionally, weight-bearing exercises can improve balancing difficulties and fall prevention.

• Cueing Techniques: By deploying external auditory or visual cues, the attention of patients can be used for concentrating on specific gait aspects. Cueing and attention strategies help in bypassing the defective basal ganglia in the brain which no longer control movement and it now becomes a cognitive action.

• Aquatic Program: Gait disorders in PD patients can be largely overcome by aquatic physical exercise regimes. Significant improvements in stride length and walking speed are noticed after this training program.

• Treadmill Exercises: Patients with mild to moderate PD who are physically and cognitively capable of using the treadmill with precautionary measures for balancing may utilize this program under supervision. It helps in achieving faster gait speed and improves stride length and walking distance. Treadmill also helps in enhancing dual-task performance capabilities of such individuals with PD.

• Robotics: Latest research shows that robot-assisted sensorimotor gait training reduces FOG episodes and improves gait velocity, co-ordination, stride length and rhythmicity.

Conclusion

Several Gait Training techniques may be implemented by Parkinson’s Support Program for successfully rehabilitating PD patients and improving balance.

Egg and Its Relation with Stroke

Egg, probably the most affordable nutritiously rich food in the world, does a bit more than just providing the body with the essential proteins and vitamins. The regular consumption of egg could be the reducing factor of so many health conditions. This is the reason why the saying ‘An egg a day keeps the doctor away’ is so popular.

Many medical researches have been conducted on the health benefits of the egg. While it remained to be the major source of protein, it has also the capability to reduce the risk of getting a stroke by 12 percent on a daily consumption. Few researchers have claimed that egg reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases but further studies need to be conducted to reveal the truth.

As per the studies conducted by two medical universities in America and China respectively, if you take an egg in your breakfast you will reduce the chances of getting a stroke and cardiovascular diseases, significantly. Read more to learn if this is true.

According to the study published in the American College of Nutrition Journal, consuming an egg every day has no significant impact on reducing the cardiovascular diseases but it does help you to reduce your risk of a stroke. The results have proven that having 2 eggs per week can help the body in tackling the fatal, ischaemic and hemorrhagic types of strokes.

On the hind-side, the scientists also claimed that the people who have consumed the eggs could have consumed the other dietary supplements that favor the body in reducing the risk of the stroke.

What Makes Egg a Complete Nutrition -

It’s no secret that eggs are good for health. One medium-sized egg contains 76 calories, 7.5g protein, 5.1g fat and 1.4g sat fat. In addition, eggs are rich sources of Vitamin A, B2, B5, B6, B12, E, D, E and K, folate and selenium, zinc, Calcium and healthy fats.

They also contain cholesterol but it is high-density lipoprotein that is known as the good cholesterol. People who have the high levels of this cholesterol are less likely to get the coronary artery and cardiovascular diseases. Even though eggs are high in cholesterol but eating this cholesterol does not bump up the blood pressure.

Most importantly, the choline which is a nutrient that group up with the Vitamin B, is essential in building the cell membrane. Also, this property is essential in producing the signaling molecules in the brain, a process that will get reduced due to the age factor.

Eggs are often referred as the complete source of protein as they contain all the 9 amino acids at a sufficient level. As the egg is a source of many healthy nutrients a significant amount of research needs to be conducted to establish the exact relationship between eggs and stroke. The Egg is dietary mainstay that supply all the essential nutrients to the body. With science on its side, egg prevents the chances of getting a stroke but also numerous health disorders and ensure the body functions at its optimum.

How the Targeting of Enzymes in Immune System can delay in Parkinsons’ Progression

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a long-term and age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Approximately 10 million people have PD worldwide. PD affects the central nervous system as the nerve cells in the brain don’t produce enough of dopamine. This causes impairment of the body’s motor functions. People with PD normally have symptoms that begin gradually, mostly on one side of the body. Subsequently, it affects both the sides.

PD usually arises in people above 60 years of age. It is chronic and progressive. Parkinson’s disease Pathogenesis shows that various environmental causes along with genetic risk factors contribute to its occurrence. Yet the exact causes are being investigated.

Parkinson’s Disease symptoms include - 

• Tremors in  hands, arms, legs, jaws and face
• Stiffness and rigidity  of the arms, legs and trunk
• Slowness of movement
• Poor balance and coordination

As symptoms worsen, PD patients may face trouble in walking, talking and even executing simple tasks. They may also experience other health issues like depression, sleep problems or difficulties in chewing, swallowing or speaking. Though PD has no permanent cure, a lot of research is going on slowing its progression.

Delaying Parkinson’s Progression by Targeting Enzymes in Immune System

Recent studies reveal that autoimmunity may have a role in the progression of PD. There is an enzyme called HDAC2 that is found in the immune cells of the brain. This enzyme regulates a crucial cellular mechanism known as epigenetics which controls the availability of certain genes. These genes are either read and translated into active proteins or silenced and hence made unavailable. According to the latest research, inhibiting the activity of this enzyme may prevent degeneration and death of nerve cells as seen in PD cases.

HDAC2 plays a key role in acting as potential therapeutic targets for several neurodegenerative diseases including PD. It is found that samples of microglia (immune cells) and dopamine-producing nerve cells in brain tissues collected from PD patients have high levels of HDAC2. This is in comparison to the corresponding levels in similar samples of healthy people.

It is interesting to note that HDAC2 levels correlated with the amount of LN3 (a marker of microglia activity) in PD samples. This is suggestive that HDAC2 may be linked to the greater pro-inflammatory and abnormal activity of microglia, when transitioning from protective brain cells to ones that attack and thereby damage healthy nerve cells.

Experimental cells replicating microglia behaviour also show increased levels of HDAC2 when pushed to a pro-inflammatory state. For quite some time now, it has been known that within pro-inflammatory environments microglia are responsible for the constant regulation and release of neurotoxin cytokines. Such environments are found in the substantia nigra in PD cases.

Thus the research findings support that HDAC2 may be specifically targeted and inhibited for reducing the effects of genes which cause neuroinflammation. Specifically, targeting HDAC2 gene expression levels in substantia nigra’s microglia can assist in reducing the progression of PD.

Latest medical innovations and evolving knowledge suggest various interventions and rehabilitation techniques for PD. This gives a new ray of new hope to patients living with this progressive neurological disease along with their families. PD is a complex disease that affects each individual differently. So PSP can help in deploying customized strategies and techniques applicable in daily life for coping up with PD limitations. PSP involves a comprehensive approach to the patient’s medical, functional and behavioural needs. This includes nursing care, nutritional counselling, rehabilitation techniques, speech and occupational therapies and fall -prevention measures.

PSP’s focus thus promotes independence and safety of PD patients for leading a better quality of life with lesser constraints.

Aromatherapy for Parkinson’s Disease

Aromatherapy is known for its benefits when it comes to progressive neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease. Aromatherapy is a type of alternative medicine that uses fragrant and aromatic essential oils to ease the ailments associated with the health condition. 

Massages with essential oils help the individuals to manage the pains and muscle cramps, effectively. It is unfortunate that there is a very fewer number of individuals who choose this therapy to ease their symptoms associated with Parkinson’s Disease.

Many types of researches have proven that essential oils help in fighting cancer and other therapeutic conditions. They are believed to be beneficiary not only on the body but also on the senses and on the spirit. Many essential oils are being employed to treat the health complications that are associated with Parkinson’s Disease. 

You could avail the Aromatherapy if you are experiencing the following the symptoms:

• Muscle spasms
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Anxiousness
• Restlessness

Many individuals with Parkinson’s Disease use the lavender essential oil. However, we are listing down few other oils that help you in easing your symptoms.

• For Managing Relaxation and Depression
• Lavender is the best remedy for the relaxation and restlessness.
• Lavender oil not only makes you feel less anxious but also makes you sleep better.
• This is the first choice of essential oils for many people with Parkinson’s Disease.
• This will also help with other symptoms such as restlessness and tired feel.
• Lavender is anti-bacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal, which could make the best solution for the individuals with minor cuts on the skin.
• Depression and Lack of Energy
• Seniors with Parkinson’s Disease may feel depressed more than often due to the symptoms of the disease and the other psychological factors.
• They may also feel that the energy is drained.
• A regular massage with the energizing and stimulating oils would help them to negotiate with these conditions.
• Citrus oils such as lemon, lime and orange oils are best to treat the depression.
• Also, mint oils such as peppermint and spearmint are helpful in cheering up the mood and restoring the energy.
• For Appetite Stimulation
• It is common to hear seniors with Parkinson’s complain about the loss of appetite and the medications are the ones to blame.
• Using essential oils for appetite stimulation is proven to be effective.
• Try inhaling the ginger and peppermint oils at least half an hour before taking food.
• These two oils also help individuals who are suffering from nausea and vomiting sensations.
• For Headaches
• To ease the headaches, use the lavender oil for a gentle massage on the temples.
• Oils such as peppermint and marjoram are also effective for headaches that are associated with Parkinson’s Disease.
• Use these oils and massage gently on the aching area for a better relief.

Also, you could use oils such as lavender, jasmine and Roman Chamomile for sleep-related issues such as insomnia.

A section of essential oils that work for an individual does not necessarily work for others. You may need to explore the best oil that suit to your body condition, as the body reaction to the oils differ from person to person. 

Most doctors do not consider the Aromatherapy as a treatment option for Parkinson’s but few doctors believe that it is, in fact, effective to alleviate the symptoms. However, it is advisable for you to consult your doctor first before undergoing the therapy sessions with aromatic oils. Especially, if you have any allergic conditions, it is important to check with your doctor to know the oils that suit your body.

Tears and Its role in diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease

Medical researchers are in constantly exploring to find the best solutions for Parkinson’s Disease. It is the time that is opening gates for various treatment and diagnosis processes that help the people with Parkinson’s Disease.  

According to the American Academy of Neurology findings, tears can be used in the diagnostic process of Parkinson’s Disease. However, these are preliminary findings and lot of research need to be conducted on this front. 

If the research proves to be positive about the tears involvement in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease may lead to cost-effective diagnosis process that way lesser than the current costs. In addition, the initial researches have proven that the test results are reliable and can be produced in a short span. 

How it Works? 

Patients of Parkinson’s show the symptoms of Lewy body triggered by the protein alpha-synuclein. It is a protein whose function is yet to determine. Few compelling results show that this is the reason for neurological disorders.  

As a result of the pathological changes due to this degeneration of brain cells, the nerve function will be impacted. The tear glands are stimulated by the nervous system. This leads to the various alterations of the contents that are in the tears.  

As part of the research, the tears of a healthy person and the person with Parkinson’s have been analyzed for the protein level differences. As expected by the scientists the level of non-clumped alpha-synuclein is lower in the Parkinson’s patient than the average levels. However, the level of unhealthy and aggravated alpha-synuclein are higher in Parkinson’s Disease.  

The chronic neurological disorder is characterized by the constant loss of brain cells in the region called substantia nigra. The cells are responsible for producing dopamine that helps the body in motor and non-motor functions. This is the reason why the individual diagnosed with Parkinson’s tend to experience the balance related issues. 

The Uses of This Diagnostic Process - 

• The ease of finding Parkinson’s Disease with the help of tears will simplify the diagnostic procedure. 
• As this process is completely non-invasive, people could easily find if they are suffering from this disorder. 
• The practices in place for diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease take considerably long time and in many cases the disorder could not be found in the initial stages. 
• However, the new innovation may result in the favor of millions of people who are being affected by this neurological disorder.  

The positive news is that so much data on biomarkers is being collected on various fronts. The researches are on a constant drive for finding the clues that lead to the solution we have been longing for. As of now, the progress in curing Parkinson’s Disease still remains unresolved. 

Samples that include DNA, RNA and blood plasma are being collected from the Parkinson’s patients for various tests. This list now includes tears – probably the first sample that is being collected for Parkinson’s diagnosis in a completely non-invasive manner.   

Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s is difficult and any individual alone could not fight this disorder. They require constant medical, physical and moral support to live a normal life despite the disorder.