A guide for those unable to sleep…

Sleep is as important to your physical health as it is to your mental health. When you sleep, you are not only recharging your body but your mind as well. When we tire, we lose our ability to work at full mental capacity. Anxiety and tension tend to run high when we’re lacking sleep, too. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t getting the sleep we need because we simply can’t sleep. Insomnia is incredibly common in our society because our brains are often unable to shut down at night. We are constantly thinking about the previous day or possibly the next day when we really should be resting.

The good news is, there are a number of ways to combat insomnia that don’t require sleeping medications or special nature sounds CDs. If you keep the following in mind at bed time, you’ll find yourself falling asleep quickly and staying asleep throughout the evening. If these techniques just aren’t working for you, you may need to see your doctor as it could be a sign of a sleep disorder.

Exercise in the Morning

Exercise can help us to sleep, but only if it is performed in the morning or early afternoon. If you exercise within a few hours of your regular bed time you body will still be hyped up on endorphins. You’ll find yourself sleeping much more restfully if you do your exercising in the mornings instead.

Thirty Minute Rule

A rule of thumb for those with insomnia is that if you aren’t able to fall asleep within thirty minutes, rather than continuing to lie there without sleeping you should get up and do something calm and relaxing. Reading a book or watching a calm television show are excellent examples. Try to do these tasks in low light, however; bright lights stimulate the body and mind.

Nighttime Snack

Even if you’re dieting, you should never go to bed hungry. Sleeping on an empty stomach will only keep you awake longer. Getting a light snack before bed will help you to sleep and you’ll feel more content. If you have problems falling asleep, try a snack such as warm milk or turkey. These items have in them an amino acid called tryptophan. This amino acid encourages the body to rest.

No Caffeine After Noon!

This might be a difficult one to stick to, but consuming caffeine after midday can also keep us awake at night. Caffeine is a strong stimulant and should be treated as such. If you can’t live without your mocha latte or cup of green tea, drink it in the morning or with lunch so the effects wear off by the time you’re ready to sleep.

Schedule Your Sleep

Sleeping at the same time every night develops a natural pattern for our bodies to follow. If you consistently sleep from 11:00 until 7:00 nightly, your body will always think of 11:00 as sleep time and 7:00 as wake up time. This way you’ll find falling asleep and waking up to be much easier.

Don’t Look at the Clock

When we look at the clock every five minutes as we toss and turn, we’re stressing about losing precious time to sleep. This will only keep you up longer. If you turn your clock away so you’re unable to see the time, you’ll no longer have that temptation there to sneak a peak. Avoiding the clock whenever possible during the night is the best course of action for anyone, whether they usually have problems sleeping or not.

Natural Sleep Remedies That Work
Work out regularly: Getting enough physical exercise can help in overcoming insomnia. Exercise everyday is good for your health. But doing it before bedtime would not help you to sleep easily.

Overcoming Insomnia And Sleep Problems
With so many people having difficulty getting a good night’s sleep, understanding the effects of insomnia is critically important in order to prevent serious health problems from occurring.

Overcoming Insomnia With Natural Alternatives
It’s hard to escape caffeine in this fast paced world, but it’s critical to do so to overcome insomnia and other sleeping problems. Until your sleeping patterns are back on track, you may want to drop the Starbucks.

Overcoming Insomnia With Blue Light?
Overcoming Insomnia With Blue Light? I read an article about a blue light box that helps insomnia. You place the box on or next to your bed, watch the light and coordinate your breathing with it. Do you know about this?

Overcoming Insomnia with Non-Medicinal Sleep Aids
There are several treatments for insomnia symptoms. However, cure for insomnia is not totally limited to medications. The easiest way to solving sleeping issues is through the help of natural sleep aids.

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Insomnia is the most common sleep problem reported by adults. Approximately one-half of all adults have occasional sleep problems during the course of any year.

Insomnia is the most common sleep problem reported by adults. Approximately one-half of all adults have occasional sleep problems during the course of any year. Insomnia is characterized by the inability to fall asleep or to maintain sleep, usually due to an underlying condition or cause. Both men and women of all ages suffer from insomnia, but it is more common in females and older adults. Individuals suffering from insomnia may experience any or all of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Difficulty staying asleep
• Waking too early in the morning

Typically, insomnia is associated with feelings of restlessness, irritability, anxiety, unrefreshing sleep, and daytime fatigue. Medical or psychiatric conditions that are sometimes associated with insomnia include depression, anxiety, substance abuse disorders, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and chronic medical conditions. Medications and other substances, such as caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine, can also play an important role in the development or persistence of insomnia. Some commonly used medications, such as antidepressants, antihypertensive, antihistamines, and decongestants, have been known to cause insomnia and sleep disruption. Before discontinuing any medication, however, it is very important to discuss your concerns with your doctor first.

For most people with insomnia, the symptoms last a few days to weeks, and then resolve spontaneously. In many of these cases, the underlying cause of insomnia may be a transient life stress or change in the daily routine of an individual. However, for those who have chronic insomnia, lasting for three months or longer, the effects of poor sleep can take a significant toll on quality of life and general well-being. The effects of chronic insomnia include reduced quality of life, impaired social functioning, diminished work productivity, missed work days, impaired memory and concentration, and depression. In essence, chronic insomnia can deprive individuals of their ability to function both socially and professionally, which can then lead to increasing problems in these areas of life.

In addition to decreased job performance, insomnia is associated with increased absenteeism. People with insomnia are at increased risk for various kinds of accidents, both at work and while operating motor vehicles.

Managing Insomnia

Chronic insomnia is characterized by its chronicity. Thus, individuals with chronic insomnia can expect that the problem may be life-long. However, there are successful treatments available that can help to control the severity and to minimize the long-term effects of insomnia.

Scientific research has demonstrated that the most successful treatment protocol for chronic insomnia is a combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a series of behavioral interventions used to improve one’s ability to initiate and to maintain sleep. Specifically, CBT is a group of techniques that can be learned to help one sleep better. Generally, CBT is conducted in individual or small group formats, over a period of several weeks. As mentioned earlier, CBT is most successful in conjunction with medication for the treatment of chronic insomnia. However, treatment with medication is not required in every case.

So what exactly is CBT?

CBT encompasses several different techniques, which may be used all together or individually. These various techniques include sleep hygiene training, relaxation therapy, stimulus control therapy, sleep restriction, and cognitive therapy. Sleep hygiene training refers to re-learning habits that encourage and promote sleep. Maintenance of a quiet sleep environment may mean excluding a pet from the bedroom or getting a bed partner to seek help for a snoring problem. Relaxation therapy helps to reduce physiologic and cognitive arousal at bedtime. Some people may be unaware of how tension and stress affect their sleep. Stimulus control therapy works by limiting the presence of external stimuli or factors that may bring anxiety or stress into the bedroom environment. Implementation of this technique can help to establish the bedroom as a place to relax and unwind, away from the stresses of the world. Sleep restriction limits the amount of time spent lying awake in bed. This technique requires close oversight by a physician or psychologist, using sleep diaries, to ensure successful treatment. Cognitive therapy works to refute an individual’s thoughts about sleeplessness and the fear and anxiety related to these thoughts. Cognitive therapy has the potential to provide patients with good tools to deal with insomnia.

CBT is generally conducted by psychologists or physicians with specialized training in these techniques. Unfortunately, CBT for chronic insomnia is not readily available everywhere; however, by doing some research through internet resources or by contacting the National Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org) or the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (www.aasmnet.org), you may be able to find someone in your area. At the Dallas Center for Sleep Disorders, we offer Insomnia Workshops with CBT for chronic insomnia. You can contact us for more information (www.dallas-sleep.com or 972-473-7300).

Author: Dr. Raj Kakar, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Kakar is a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine (D.ABSM) and he is board-certified in both Sleep Medicine and Internal Medicine. He completed fellowship training at Stanford University’s Sleep Disorders Clinic for Adults and Pediatrics. He is the medical director for the Dallas Center for Sleep Disorders in Plano, TX.

Resources: Sleep Apnea Treatment - Snoring Treatment - Sleep Disorders

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