I use taskiller when this happens, and it clears up the issue, even though "linux doesn't need that."

Also, hit alt+shift+del to soft reboot rather than a battery pull.

 

You probably want to use Advanced Task Killer (or something similar) to remove extraneous background processes if you use a lot of apps. It may also help to clear caches for certain apps, such as the browser, once in a while.

 

I've tried alt+shift+del many times and it nothing ever happens? Do you have to hold it down for a certain period of time or enable something in the settings?

 

I hold the shift and alt on the left side and tap delete. It takes a second to work. <shrugs>