Insomnia Natural Treatment
Coping with Insomnia
Each year millions of people are plagued by insomnia. When you understand the
cause of insomnia, and sleep cycles, you’ll be able to use natural and behavioural
treatments to help fix the problem. Finally find answers to this devastating sleep
disorder.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
NOTE 3
INTRODUCTION 4
DEFINING INSOMNIA 6
THE SLEEP CYCLE 10
THE CAUSES OF INSOMNIA AND LACK OF SLEEP 14
WHO SUFFERS FROM INSOMNIA? 18
THE SERIOUSNESS OF INSOMNIA 20
DIAGNOSING INSOMNIA 22
SLEEP DISORDER CLINICS 26
MEDICATIONS THAT HELP WITH INSOMNIA 30
NATURAL TREATMENTS FOR LACK OF SLEEP 37
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY 42
OTHER TECHNIQUES TO TREAT INSOMNIA 44
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR COPING WITH INSOMNIA 49
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Note
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distribution is prohibited unless you have received prior written consent.
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Introduction
Often times our bodies are working on an instinctual level. In fact at
birth, we know to sleep, and even though our sleep needs change
as we get older, we still have a deep need for sleep.
While most people go to bed and simply close their eyes and fall
asleep after a few minutes, there are many people who can simply
not fall asleep when they are tired. In fact, many people suffer from
insomnia, along with many other sleeping disorders, such as sleep
apnea and heavy snoring.
Did you know that approximately 60 million people suffer from
insomnia? While lack of sleep can be a short term experience for
some, lasting only a few days or weeks, may people suffer from
ongoing insomnia- lasting months at a time.
30% of men and over 40% of women suffer from symptoms of
insomnia!
Sleep is a natural function of our body that allows us to rest. When
you cannot sleep, it can cause you problems in many different
ways. Some people have problems focusing, or their motor skills
are effected, others may have concentration issues, or forget
details, no matter how small or how big and important. While
forgetting a meeting may not be detrimental, forgetting an
important doctor’s appointment may be more risky and dangerous.
Lack of sleep and insomnia have become more prevalent over time,
and now there are even medical services such as clinics, hospitals
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and medical practitioners who work with sleep disorders to learn
more and work to treat the condition.
We will be exploring insomnia and lack of sleep in-depth in this
guide, and you will not only learn about the causes of insomnia, but
you’ll also learn about different insomnia types. We will go over
medication to treat insomnia, however the best part is you’ll learn
methods to treat your condition on your own, the natural way. We’ll
explore the sleep cycles, and look more closely at the stages of
sleep- and of course different available tested treatments for you.
The goal of this book is to help you not only identify your insomnia
symptoms and related problems, but also have more knowledge on
this condition, as well as offering solutions to your problem. This
way you can take your fate in your own hands and free yourself
from insomnia and lack of sleep forever.
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Defining Insomnia
A basic definition of insomnia is based on a sensation of daytime
fatigue. There are actually multiple levels or degrees of insomnia,
but it’s generally accepted that even though you are tired, you have
difficulty sleeping or falling asleep, or even staying asleep. When
you wake-up in the morning, you do not feel rested as a result of
the disturbance in these sleep patterns.
The question then becomes: is insomnia a sleep disorder of it’s own,
or is it a symptom or side effect of another condition? Not everyone
agrees on one final answer at this time.
Some common symptoms of insomnia include:
Daytime fatigue
Ongoing or frequent headaches
Irritability
Inability to concentrate or feeling easily distracted
Upon waking, feeling tired
Sleeping more easily when away from home
Ongoing trouble falling asleep (taking more than 45 minutes)
Sleep disturbances, continually waking up through the night
Having trouble falling back asleep
Waking too early on a regular basis
Trouble sleeping without the use of a sleeping aid or alcohol
A busy mind keeps many people up at night. In fact, many people
who suffer from insomnia have a difficult time quieting their minds,
which in turn keeps them awake. If you find you’re having trouble
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relaxing, or your mind races from one thought to the next, you may
recognize this problem.
While lack of sleep is often temporary in nature, the different
degrees are categorized into three major groups:
Transient insomnia
Acute insomnia
Chronic insomnia
One of the most common forms of insomnia is Transient
insomnia. This occurs when symptoms last only a couple of days,
or maybe a couple of weeks. It’s not a long term experience.
Temporary problems are often a cause for this insomnia form.
Maybe there’s been a recent change in the job place, at home,
family trouble or even health problems—it’s temporary in nature.
Stress is a big factor that comes into play here.
Acute insomnia would describe a longer term of insomnia. If this
has lasted for months on end, it’s much more persistent. In this
circumstance, you may notice your motor skills being affected.
Maybe your mental capacity is slightly impaired due to the ongoing
lack of sleep. Acute means short and severe.
Chronic means long term and ongoing, so when you’re discussing
chronic insomnia, we’re talking about an ongoing condition that
can persist for months or years. People who live with chronic
insomnia often have other issues that come into play and cause
insomnia, such as health issues. Chronic insomniacs can also
experience persistent double vision, mental fatigue, physical fatigue
and slow motor skills.
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The three main levels of insomnia above aren’t the only ways to
describe it. In fact some of these have levels within themselves,
becoming subcategories.
Chronic insomnia is further broken down into primary and
secondary chronic insomnia.
Primary chronic insomnia occurs when the lack of sleep is the
primary issue reported by a patient; and
Secondary chronic insomnia is caused primarily by other
medical or psychological conditions or drugs
To confuse things even further, secondary chronic insomnia can also
then be broken down into more subcategories:
Sleep Apnea – When people have difficulty breathing while
sleeping, this is generally referred to as Sleep Apnea. People who
suffer from sleep Apnea may snore in loud bursts with pauses in
their breathing. The ongoing disruption in their sleep can actually
cause a patient to experience symptoms of insomnia.
Restless Legs Syndrome – This is brought about by a
discomfort or painful sensation in the legs. It can feel differently to
different people but is usually described as a burning, itching or
tingling sensation. The sensations cause a lack of sleep for the
patient, whose mind is unable to rest as it processes the reactions
to these sensations.
Sleep schedule or Circadian rhythm disorders – People
on night shifts may experience this problem, or people who have to
change shifts (work swing shifts), based on the fact that their
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Medically-induced lack of sleep – Medical conditions
account for many sleep problems. Not only do medical conditions
cause problems, but many of the medications people take can cause
sleep disturbances as well. Some common conditions that have
drugs associated with insomnia are: allergies, asthma, arthritis,
ADHD, heart disease, and hypertension. On top of ongoing medical
conditions, temporary physical discomfort can also cause sleep
problems.
Emotionally-induced lack of sleep – Emotional difficulties
are often of cause sleep problems. If you have ongoing stress or
emotional trauma, this may account for your insomnia.
**While we’ve been discussing different types of insomnia, there is
actually another definition of insomnia you may want to know
about. It’s the inability to fall asleep at conventional times.
Delayed Sleep-phase Syndrome - When your circadian
(natural) clock tends to run late, it’s called delayed sleep-phase
syndrome. Teens and young adults often have this form of
insomnia, because they get in a pattern of staying up very late and
sleeping odd hours. This disturbs their natural pattern of sleep, as
they’re waking much later than normal, or staying up all hour of the
night.
Advanced Sleep Syndrome - More common in older people,
advanced sleep syndrome occurs when someone continually wakes
up too early, even though they are still quite tired. This is often
attributed to an off-balance circadian rhythm, as well.
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As we discuss the different sleep cycles, you may want to go back
and refer to some of these definitions. This can help you identify
your own lack of sleep or insomnia issues, which in turn will help
you find the best treatment for your insomnia type.
The Sleep Cycle
A good night's sleep is vital to human survival. Quality sleep
provides our well being, both mentally and physically. It’s crucial for
our body and mind to be able to rest. It’s become more popular to
study sleep and sleep patterns over the years, and scientists, as
well as medical professionals are slowly being able to not only
identify the brain waves during sleep, but also now identify sleep
patterns.
The Circadian cycle is described as our natural cycle of life. It’s how
our body works, like an internal clock. The natural rhythm regulates
many of our bodily functions. The most crucial or prominent cycles
where you see this is in sleeping and waking.
Our bodies rely on signals throughout the day, and light is one of
those signals. It passes through the eyes, and resets our circadian
rhythm each day. Our brain gets the signal, and our internal clock is
set.
Our hypothalamus, which is inside of our brain, has a nerve center
which helps process the light that has been sent as a signal via our
eyes. Our brain understands the signal and it helps us maintain our
circadian rhythm.
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Our hypothalamus then sends a signal to one of our glands which
releases an important hormone called melatonin. The longer the
light signal is absent, and the body is in the dark, the longer
melatonin is released. Once the body is exposed to light again, our
melatonin levels drop, and begin to wake up. It is still unknown if
melatonin is effective in causing sleep when there is light present,
and is an area of continued research and focus.
An ongoing cycle of waking and sleeping helps people stay
productive during the day, and get rest at night. It’s based on a 24
hour length, though there is a peak level of sleepiness that may
occur during the day.
While this is how most people function, not everybody works on the
same 24 hour cycle. What’s fascinating is that 1/3 of this time
period, most people sleep, which is around 8 hours. While 8 hours
of sleep will leave most people refreshed, some people need more
or less sleep. For example infants will sleep twice that amount of
time, sleeping up to 16 hours a day. Also, the older you get, you
may require less sleep. There are different aspects to this daily
rhythm, and 8 hours is seen as an average.
When discussing sleep cycles, it’s important to learn about the ways
our natural daily rhythms work. It works with both biological and
physical factors, and these two factors can cause changes or
interference in your daily patterns.
One such example would be our own brains and how they each
react differently. While one person’s brain may react very quickly to
signals, another person may experience this at a much slower rate.
While we’re talking about fractions of a second, these actual
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differences can end up causing variations when it comes to how
people sleep, how long they sleep and their falling asleep patterns.
Hormones can cause problems as well. As women go through
monthly cycles, this can change how signals are received in the
brain, which can cause sleep disturbances, or lack of sleep during
this time of the month.
While you’re sleeping, you’re actually going through different stages
of sleep. You will pass through some of these stages multiple times
throughout the night.
Non-REM is the first stage of sleep. Non-REM stands for "non-rapid
eye movement sleep”. This can also be referred to as quiet sleep.
While this is the first stage of sleep, it can actually be divided into
different stages:
Phase one - light sleep
Phase two - true sleep
Phase three - deep sleep, often called delta sleep
As you fall asleep and go into a deeper sleep, it’s harder to wake
up. We’re unsure what controls this pattern in the brain, but experts
think that it has to do with hormones, which are important as we
fall into a deep sleep phase. It may be a combination of both stress
and growth hormones.
REM is the second stage of this cycle. REM stands for "rapid eye
movement" sleep. This is the point where we are dreaming, and our
most vivid dreams occur. It’s called “active sleep”. Your brain is
active, even though you are asleep. Our muscles are not busy
working, but we have brain activity. This is one of the reasons we
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don’t act out our dreams- our muscles are still. While our body
muscles are in a “paralyzed” type state, our eye muscles are not.
Only our vital organs are actively working.
The pattern of these two stages of sleep remains the same. It takes
about 90 minutes of Non-REM sleep before we start REM sleep, and
our eyes start to move. As we progress through sleep phases, we
move between REM and Non-REM multiple times. Each time we go
through this process, the Non-REM stage becomes lighter, and the
REM stage becomes longer. The REM stage can last only minutes, or
up to an hour at the end of our sleeping episode.
This rotation of stages is something that our body does on an
instinctual level. While some people have trouble sleeping, this is a
natural instinct, and not something that is learned.
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The Causes of Insomnia and Lack of Sleep
Stress, medication and anxiety may be the main causes of
insomnia, but there really is no one cause of your lack of sleep.
Short term insomnia can have many causes.
Stress is a big factor when you’re discussing short term insomnia
(also called transient insomnia). Short term insomnia can be
brought on by many factors such as working odd hours, travelling,
or even school exams. This lack of sleep is also sometimes called an
“adjustment sleep disorder”. Some of the other causes of this
condition come from injury, illness, job loss, or even from a divorce
or the loss of a loved one.
These are generally temporary situations. That means that
eventually, when the level of stress passes, your sleep pattern will
return to normal. One of the problems arises when this type of
insomnia starts to interfere with your daytime activities.
Some women have sleep disturbances due to their hormone levels
changing. While the changes we go through are different, each may
cause sleep problems at their own time.
Progesterone is a hormone that helps promote sleep. Unfortunately
during menstruation there’s a shift in your hormone balance, and
that can be enough to cause you to lack sleep or have insomnia.
Once these hormones level out, sleep problems may go away. Many
pregnant women experience sleep disturbances also due to changes
in hormone levels.
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Later in a woman’s life, when she’s going through menopause, the
body is going through a large change in hormone levels, and many
women find they will experience sleep problems. This insomnia can
last days, weeks or even months. Many women rely on hormone
replacement therapy to get through this period.
An interesting study shows that your environment can actually have
an affect on your sleep patterns. Some people are more sensitive to
light and noise, or even temperature changes. Our bodies adapt in
most circumstances, but when we throw off our circadian rhythm,
sleep disturbances can occur.
Even some of the things that we eat and drink can have an impact
on our sleep! Look at caffeine- so many people drink beverages that
contain caffeine, but this is a stimulant which can cause insomnia.
Do you smoke? Nicotine can keep people from sleeping well also.
Each thing we swallow, eat or drink can have a direct impact on our
sleep patterns. Look closely at what you’re consuming.
Many of us rely on over-the-counter medication to help us with day
to day problems that arise. What you may not realize is many of
those medications may be causing your lack of sleep. Look on the
back of the label, because many medications actually list insomnia
as a side effect. Have you started taking something new? Don’t just
look at over-the-counter medications; look at your prescribed
medications too. Check the literature and see if insomnia is listed in
the side effects. If you think your medication may be causing the
problem, speak to your doctor or pharmacist and see if there’s an
alternative medication you can take.
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If you have a partner, their sleep patterns may be causing part in
your own sleep disturbances and insomnia. Does their snoring keep
you awake? Many men and women report that snoring by their
partner has made it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.
When a lack of sleep lasts for months on end, or even for years, this
is called chronic insomnia. In instances like this, it can be difficult at
times to get to the root of the problem. This can often be caused by
multiple things, both physical and psychological. This combination is
called psycho-physiologic insomnia.
In the circumstance that this type of insomnia is the problem, what
happens is a cycle starts to form. While the person continually has
trouble sleeping, they soon associate sleeping or their bed with a
problem and failure to rest. In return, the lack of sleep itself – or
fear of insomnia aggravates the condition. At this point, the inability
to sleep is more of an anxiety, and so while it started with regular
insomnia, now there is a psychological level attached to it.
If anxiety is part of the insomnia, it could have actually started way
back in childhood. You may have emotions attached to sleep
patterns of your youth. There may be discomfort or pain associated
with sleep, or maybe your parents forced you to bed early, which
caused you to store bad memories of sleep.
Other times there may be physical symptoms that cause your
problem, such as ongoing digestive issues, hypertension, allergies,
asthma or other illness. Maybe you’ve been given medication to
treat this condition which has been disrupting your sleep, and in
return the medication has ingredients that keep you awake!
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Lack of sleep can lead to emotional issues, as well as stress and
anxiety. In up to 50% of chronic insomnia, anxiety is present. If
you’re stress about “will I be able to fall asleep”, this alone can then
come into play and keep you awake.
Emotional distress came into place in a survey taken by the United
States Department of Health and Human Services. They found that
47% of the people surveyed who had insomnia also had emotional
distress. This again becomes a vicious cycle.
Did you know that substance abuse is also a factor in chronic
insomnia cases? It’s been estimated that up to 15% of insomnia
cases stem from things like alcohol, sedative or substance abuse.
These substances can cause a fragmented sleep, which causes
insomnia.
Swing shift and working odd hours was discussed a little bit earlier
in the guide. A scary statistic is that a study found nearly half of all
people who work a night shift dose off on the job about once a
week! Our bodies recognize this as a sleep time, and we’re forcing
them off of our regular circadian rhythm. Not only do night workers
and swing shift workers have sleep problems, but they also have a
higher risk for auto accidents, because of ongoing drowsiness.
There is also increased risk for health problems in workers who
work off hours.
We spoke of female hormone balances earlier, but let’s take another
look at hormones. This time we’re going to look at a hormone called
cortisol. This is a hormone associated with high stress. When there
are increased levels of cortisol present, REM sleep is reduced.
Another hormone which is present with increased stress is
adrenocorticotropin. This is a hormone secreted late at night, and is
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associated with deep slow-wave sleep. As we age, we have less of
this deep slow-wave sleep.
Regardless of the hormone changes, there is not a higher incident
of lack of sleep in older adults when there are no other factors such
as emotional or physical problems.
There is some research looking at linking insomnia through genetics
for some people. There’s a pattern of sleep disturbances that run in
families, but there’s still a lot of research to be done, so it’s not
properly defined yet.
Who Suffers From Insomnia?
While many people suffer from sleep disturbances, only some
people discuss this issue with their doctor! It’s been said that about
one third of adults suffer from insomnia. On top of patients not
reporting their sleep problems with their doctors, doctors often
don’t ask their patients if they have sleep disturbances.
In a startling discovery, it would appear that 90% of those who
suffer from depression also have insomnia. Psychiatric problems
account for many sleep problems.
Somatic symptoms (no known cause) can sometimes coincide with
depression, or even insomnia. Those suffering from lack of sleep
may experience worsened chronic pain than those who are not
lacking sleep. Insomnia can heighten pain in those who are not
sleeping well. In fact, when those with sleep disorders were treated,
2/3’s of those suffering with headaches said their headaches were
cured when the insomnia was cured.
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Women tend to suffer from insomnia more often then men, though
as we age, it tends to become a more equal number of men and
women suffering from it.
When we give birth to children we develop a sensitivity where we
wake easily when we hear our children. While women adapt to the
new circumstance of newborns and listening for children in our
sleep, when our children are older, many women have trouble
getting beyond this, and have a continued sensitivity to noise which
causes insomnia.
Men lose up to 80% of their deep sleep as they age. In fact, from
age 16 through age 50, light sleep actually increases, while REM
sleep remains the same. Once passing your mid 40’s, awakenings
increase, while REM and total sleep diminish.
Just like men, women who are aging are susceptible too. On an
interesting side note, women who have problems sleeping but are
not “bothered” by this problem actually have better sleep than non-
insomniac men.
Another group of people who have problems with insomnia are
those that travel on a regular basis. Add in crossing over timelines
and things like post-traumatic stress syndrome, and you’ve got a
potent combination for insomnia.
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The Seriousness of Insomnia
A study that was conducted in 2002 studied the sleep habits of over
1 million people. What they found is that people who slept a full 7
hours a night enjoyed the longest lifespan. What’s fascinating is
that for those who slept OVER 8 hours, or UNDER 6 hours, there
was a shorted lifespan.
Insomnia is not lethal in itself. It’s the combined effects of lack of
sleep that can aggravate conditions. There are rare genetic
disorders; one in particular is called fatal familial insomnia. It comes
upon later in adulthood and progressive. Again, this is quite rare.
So many people suffer from insomnia, and sadly up to 200,000 auto
accidents occur in the US each year due to sleepy drivers. A full
1,500 deaths are accounted for in these alarming statistics. A
sleepy driver is as dangerous as a drunk driver, because their
reaction time is similar.
Depending on the study, different things are noted. For example,
some study the problem of ongoing sleepiness, while others study
fatigue which could be due to working late one night. Based on
which study was done, numbers swing wildly in one direction or the
other, making it difficult to decipher, since the numbers are
radically different.
When you’re discussing the seriousness of insomnia and
complications that arise, you need to also look at things such as
your attention span, memory problems, irritability, and the
relationships of people who lack sleep. Each of these components
can become an outcome based on this insomnia.
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Did you know that insomnia also has an effect on your thinking?
How do you think this comes into place with your work productivity
or job performance? Lack of sleep impairs your brain’s ability to
process information. Not only is your performance at risk, but your
emotional mood and in some cases emotional stability.
Now you know that your performance may be affected, but what
you also need to realize is that even your learning ability is
impacted by insomnia.
Ongoing lack of sleep can continually have a significant impact on a
person’s life. It can touch you mentally and well as physically. Even
some psychiatric disorders may be attributed towards insomnia.
With early recognition, they’ll hopefully be able to treat it, and
prevent the possibility of future psychiatric disorders.
Insomnia is a big factor when it comes to depression. Continually
waking in the middle of the night, or having trouble falling asleep,
having trouble falling back to sleep after waking- this can often
result in depression. Have you noticed a loss of energy or a change
in your behaviour?
There is speculation that insomnia can cause an increased risk of
coronary heart disease, but there’s not enough evidence to back
this up at this time.
Insomnia puts a strain on the human body, and can lead to serious
health conditions. We’re more than tired when we are sleep
deprived; we’re putting our bodies at risk for health and behaviour
issues.
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Diagnosing Insomnia
When it comes to restoring healthy sleep patterns, the first step is
diagnosing insomnia. It can be difficult to asses the degree of one’s
insomnia. It’s quite subjective in nature, and in studies, it can be
hard to differentiate between sleep patterns of those who sleep
well, and those with a lack of sleep.
When people self-diagnose, they may think they have insomnia,
when actually, they may actually be in an awake stage. Let me
explain. When there are frequent brief awakenings, it may not be
due to insomnia, but rather are actually continuously awake and
have not fallen into a deep sleep yet. Regardless of the degree of
insomnia you have, treatment is important, especially if it’s
impairing your daytime activities and memory.
If you’re seeking treatment for insomnia or any other sleep
disorder, it can help to be prepared with the information they may
need to make a proper diagnosis. Here are a few questions that
may come up during your appointment. Take a few moments before
going to the doctor and jot these answers down, so that it’s at hand
if needed.
Questions to Consider
How would you describe your sleep problem?
How long have you been experiencing insomnia?
How long does it take to fall asleep?
How often does it occur? Once or twice a week? Nightly?
How restful is your sleep?
Does the difficulty lie in getting to sleep or in waking up early?
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What is your sleep environment like? Light? Noise?
How does insomnia impact your daytime functioning?
What medications do you take and how often? (include the
use of over the counter medication for insomnia, such as
herbs, alcohol, and over-the-counter or prescription drugs)
Have you abstained from stimulants? (ex: caffeine, nicotine)
How much alcohol do you drink each day?
What type of stress are you under?
Have you had any major life changes recently? Divorce, loss
of a loved one?
Are you a snorer, light or heavy?
Do your legs bother you when you’re in bed? (cramps,
twitching, crawling feelings)?
Does your partner snore, or are they restless?
Do you work night shift or swing shift?
Many people find that by keeping a sleep or insomnia journal, they
can help better diagnose and treat the problem. This often shows
patterns that may cause or lead to lack of sleep.
If you keep a sleep journal, try to include the following information:
When you go to bed each day, and when you wake
Total number of hours you slept
The quality of your sleep
Did you wake up? How often? What did you do when you
woke up?
How much caffeine or alcohol did you consume and at what
time?
What kinds of food and drinks did you consume each day?
Feelings - happiness, sadness, stress, anxiety
Medications taken – along with how much, and how often
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There is a test called the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. This scale is a
questionnaire that measures sleepiness based on answers to eight
specific situations.
Answer the questions, and rather than think about it too much,
respond with the first thing that comes to mind. This answer is
typically the most honest and will provide the most accurate results.
In each scenario rank the chance of dozing off on a scale of 0-3.
A rank of 0 means no chance of falling asleep, 1 means there’s a
slight chance of falling asleep, and 2 is a moderate chance. 3
indicates a high chance of falling asleep in that scenario.
THE EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE
Sitting and reading
Sitting inactive in a public place
(e.g., a theater or a meeting)
Riding as a passenger in a car for
an hour without a break
Lying down to rest in the
afternoon when circumstances
permit
Sitting and talking to someone
Sitting quietly after a lunch
without alcohol
Sitting in a car while stopped for
a few minutes in traffic
Watching TV
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Score Results:
When you’re finished taking the test, you can look to see how your
numbers match up. If the total score falls between 0-3, it is
indicative of normal sleeping habits.
When you score 4-8, your sleep is average, but leaning towards the
sleepy side.
If you’ve scored above a 9, it means that you may have a sleep
disorder. If you found your score to be this high, you may want to
speak with a professional and look into diagnosing your problem.
There’s another test that helps narrow down what’s causing your
insomnia. It’s a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). The MSLT uses
a machine that takes a measurement, looking at the time it takes
for you to fall asleep during the day in a quiet room. You would
schedule 4-5 napes a few hours apart. Normally it takes someone
up to 20 minutes to fall asleep. What this test does is looks at the
lack of sleep and sleepiness associated with it when you have
insomnia.
The MSLT is used mainly after other sleep disorders have been ruled
out and the doctor or clinician is uncertain whether or not insomnia
is the correct diagnosis.
Sometimes, when there is a serious need for it, a doctor will refer
you to a sleep clinic to help properly diagnose and treat your
insomnia.
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Sleep Disorder Clinics
A sleep disorder clinic is a special center that focuses on treating
insomnia and other sleeping disorders. You go to the center and will
sleep there, all while being monitored. This is easily one of the most
effective ways of getting answers. It may seem odd or
uncomfortable at first, but once you realize what it’s about, it will
make more sense.
Your doctor may recommend a sleep clinic if they are having
difficulty treating or getting a full diagnosis on your sleep condition.
Here are some reasons you may be sent to a sleep disorder clinic.
Insomnia due to psychological disorders
Sleeping problems related to substance abuse
Sleep apnea issues, snoring and gasping during
Severe restless legs syndrome
Persistent daytime sleepiness
Narcolepsy, fallen asleep suddenly unplanned
While going to a sleep disorder clinic is a new experience for most
people, once you get there and understand how it works, it may
help make it a more calming experience for you. Before going, you
may have forms to fill out, along with medical history information.
Testing will begin only once you have you’ve met with a sleep
specialist and a review of your sleep history has been gone over.
This will allow you to ask questions about the test. You may also
view a video about the sleep clinic experience so you know what to
expect.
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Once all of this has been completed, you’ll change into your sleep
clothes and get ready for sleep. Each person may go through
different experiences, but generally you can expect to take part in a
polysomnogram, which is a test that records your body through
various phases of sleep. This test is watching your physical
movements. They will attach electrodes to you (painless) and
record brain waves through your sleeping episode.
These electrodes will be recording multiple things. They will be
keeping track of things like REM and breathing patterns.
They’ll also be recording information about your sleep behaviours,
positions, blood oxygen levels, heart rate and things like how much
you’re snoring.
While you may be wearing equipment to sleep, it’s rarely disruptive
to the people wearing it.
If you participate in a “split-night” test, you’ll use the first half of
the night to diagnose your insomnia, while the second portion of the
night will be used to treat your problem. Usually this is the case for
those suffering with sleep apnea.
The technician will move to a monitoring room and check to see if
the electrodes are working properly, and that everything is working
as it should be. This technician will be taking notes, and recording
information that may help diagnose your sleep patterns and
problems.
As you sleep, your brain waves are being recorded. This helps the
medical professionals understand what stages of sleep you are in
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and for how long. Upon waking, the electrodes are removed, and
you’re done for now.
You’ll have a follow-up appointment at a later date, usually just a
couple days later, so that they’ve had time to study your sleep
results. With all the information that’s been recorded, the medical
professional can then evaluate your data and have a diagnosis or
treatment that can help you.
One example is if you’ve been diagnoses as having Sleep Apnea,
you may be treated with a CPAP machine. CPAP stands for
continuous positive airway pressure, which helps to keep your
airway open while you sleep.
If you’re going to a sleep disorder clinic, they’ll usually give you a
list of what you’ll need to bring along. It will generally include many
of these things:
Nightgown, or any comfortable sleep wear
A favorite pillow or blanket; while bedding is provided, the
comforts of home help people feel more comfortable
Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, etc.
Clothes for the following day
Any needed medications
A book or other reading material to relax your mind
On a side note, avoid hair gels or hairsprays, or other styling
products. Your hair should be clean and dry when you arrive. This
way the electrodes will adhere better.
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You will also need to have two fingers with nothing on the
fingernails. This is for your oximeter (blood oxygen levels). If you
have artificial nails, you’ll need to remove them on two fingers.
Going to a sleep disorder center is an opportunity for medical
professionals to get a good look at how your body responds in
sleep, what is going on not only physically, but with your brain
waves, how sound you sleep, if you’re snoring and other things.
With this information, you’ll hopefully soon get a diagnosis, and
work towards a treatment that will help you.
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Medications That Help With Insomnia
Often medication is prescribed to treat insomnia. In fact close to 1/3
of the American population has taken a medication at some point to
help them sleep, based on a study that was conducted in 1999.
While some were prescribed, over half were self medicated with
over-the-counter medications.
Medication may help you sleep, but until you fix the psychological
portion of insomnia, you’re only medicating a symptom. You need
to treat it to cure it. Medication can become a band-aid approach,
and the best treatment for insomnia is to cure it with behavioural
techniques.
Many people come to depend on medication to sleep. This can be
habit forming, and does not correct the problem. It only gives you a
temporary fix. Soon, you feel you won’t be able to sleep without the
medication, and completely rely on it.
Hypnotics are drugs that are used to improve your sleeping
episodes. Not everyone tolerates them well, but they are commonly
prescribed. They are called Benzodiazepines. You generally use
them to stop the cycle of psychophysiological insomnia in people
with transient or short-term insomnia when non-medical treatments
have failed.
Originally developed to treat anxiety, these drugs reinforce a
chemical in the brain that inhibits neuron excitability. Commonly
prescribed benzodiazepines include the following:
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Long acting benzodiazepines include flurazepam (Dalmane)
and clonazepam (Klonopin), quazepam (Doral)
Medium- to short-acting benzodiazepines include triazolam
(Halcion), lorazepam (Ativan), alprazolam (Xanax),
temazepam (Restoril), oxazepam (Serax), prazepam
(Centrax), estazolam (ProSom), and flunitrazepam (Rohypnol)
Common side effects of these drugs include:
Increased depression
Respiratory depression
Possible daytime drowsiness
Memory, sleepwalking, or odd moods
If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or are nursing a
child, you should not use this medication. NOTE: the use of
benzodiazepines in the first trimester of pregnancy has been
associated to the development of cleft lip in newborns.
If you’re taking Benzodiazepines, follow your doctor’s instructions.
He may instruct you to start with half doses. Never self-medicate or
take extra medication when it’s not prescribed that way. Each
person may have different reactions or side effects. Elderly people
are more susceptible to side effects.
As with all medication, do not combine with alcohol, and if you’re
taking other medication, check with your doctor to make sure there
are no interactions you need to be aware of.
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This type of medication can be highly addictive. Withdrawal
symptoms with this medication are not uncommon. They can last up
to 3 weeks after stopping the medication.
Rebound insomnia, can occur after you go through withdrawal. This
can include anxiety, sleepiness during the daytime hours, or sleep
disturbances. Rebound appears to be higher when people are on
shorter-acting medication. There are even cases where a person
can return to their original state of full insomnia.
If you take sleeping pills, it’s important to use caution:
Do not take sleeping pills consecutively for multiple days, as it
can lead to dependence and disrupt your normal sleep
patterns.
If insomnia continues to be an ongoing problem, try to cycle
on and off of the medication rather than taking it continually.
Avoid taking sleep medication for more than 4 weeks.
Withdraw is a possibility, as is rebound insomnia. Try to
gradually decrease your medication.
Avoid taking alcohol when taking sleeping pills, as it
intensifies the effects and can be dangerous.
If you find that insomnia is accompanied by anxiety or depression,
it may be advisable to try to treat those first. Insomnia can be a
side effect of these conditions. If you are experiencing this
combination of symptoms, there is medication that can work in
combination. Some antidepressants now can treat both depression
and insomnia at once.
Commonly used over-the-counter medication uses antihistamines to
cause drowsiness. You may see the ingredient diphenhydramine
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used in sleep medications like Nytol, Sleep-Eez, or Sominex. Other
medications like the “PM” versions of Tylenol and Advil combine a
pain reliever with the dephenhydramine. Unison is another over-
the-counter sleep aid, but this uses an ingredient called
Doxylamine.
Here’s where a problem can come up. You take the medication to
help you fall asleep at night, but the drowsiness can carry over to
the next day. While they may have helped you fall asleep, it may
not have been a good restful sleep. Be cautious when using these
as some side effects that have been noted can range from blurred
vision to dizziness and daytime fatigue.
As with all medication, be careful mixing medication. If you’re
currently taking prescribed medication, you need to be cautious
because some drugs don’t interact well together. If you have health
problems such as angina, heart arrhythmias, glaucoma, or problems
urinating, you may need to be extra cautious due to your
medications interacting with sleep medication. If you have chronic
lung disease, you should avoid doxylamine.
I’d highly recommend you speak to your doctor before turning to
over-the-counter medication. It’s rarely the right choice, and are
truly only intended for short-term use.
What’s interesting is that while you may be asleep while using over-
the-counter medication, some people get a very limited deep sleep
with them. A healthy sleep pattern shows an average of up to 25%
deep sleep, where as those taking these medications may only
spend as little as 5% of their sleep in a deep sleep.
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If you’re taking a hypnotic that does not include benzodiazepine,
you may be taking something called Ambien, Sonata or Imovane.
(generic names: zolpidem, zaleplon, zopiclone). While they have
some similarities, each of these drugs has differences to them. They
are not all the same pill with a different name.
Zaleplon (Sonata) is the shortest-acting hypnotic. If you wake
in the middle of the night, you can actually take this and you
shouldn’t have a problem waking in the morning. You won’t
be over sedated. So far, it’s been deemed safe for both older
and younger patients, and has a good safety record.
Zolpidem (Ambien) is a longer acting medication. You’ll want
to take this medication before going to bed. It’s to be used
“as needed” for a short while, and you slowly reduce your
intake over time, generally about 3 weeks. Records showed
that people could reduce their intake, and not lose quality
sleep.
The ingredients in these medications may be helpful to those who
have mood disorders as well, such as post-traumatic stress disorder
or depression. They may even be safe for people with chronic lung
problems or elderly patients, but before taking any medication,
clear it with your doctor first. While these can be helpful, they can
also be expensive.
As with all medication, there may be side effects. You may
experience memory loss or morning sedation. Sonata appears to
have less severe side effects than Ambien, but everybody will react
differently.
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While taking these medications, you may also experience:
Nausea
Agitated moods in the morning
Memory loss
Dizziness
Nightmares
Headaches
Rare fatal overdoses have been reported
Again, as with any medication, use caution and avoid alcohol use,
as it can cause a stronger unwanted reaction.
On a good note, those who have taken a hypnotic nightly for up to a
year did not show signs of dependency, and there were also no
withdraw symptoms. I’d highly recommend that you only take the
medication as advised, following professional medical advice on how
much of the medication to take, and for the length of time to take
it.
When discussing medication, one type of medication I’d like to
discuss is Chloral hydrate. It’s a drug that acts to help a
combination of problems, depression and insomnia together.
This is a medication that’s been used for close to 100 years, but
while reliable the adverse effects have some people questioning if it
should be used to treat insomnia. It has been prescribed for short-
term use, when other hypnotics cannot be used.
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Chloral hydrate side effects include:
Irritation of the skin
Irritation of mucous membranes
Irritation of the stomach
People with heart, kidney, stomach and liver disorders should not
take this medication. On a side note, if during a minor surgery a
child has been given this medication- the child should not ever use
this again in their lifetime.
The medications discussed above are prescriptions. When discussing
sleeping disturbances with your doctor, discuss any concerns you
have regarding these medications. Your doctor should monitor your
use and check to make sure that the medication is working
properly. You’ll want to schedule follow up visits, or have contact
with your doctor so that he can address any problems or side
effects you may be experiences. These are not a cure, merely a
temporary crutch. It’s vital you get to the root of the problem, so
you can fix it.
We discussed plenty of medications, but there are natural ways to
address your insomnia. Not only are they effective, but much
safer. Even when using natural treatments, it’s important to make
your doctor aware you’re struggling with insomnia. It’s important to
make sure there are no contraindications.
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Natural Treatments for Lack of Sleep
Many people rely on herbal remedies to treat their insomnia.
Here are a few:
Kava kava
Chamomile
Valerian root
Lemon balm
Passionflower
St John’s Wort
Melatonin
While many people use these herbs, it’s not been documented that
they are safe or effective. Also, they are not endorsed by regulatory
agencies. While studies may be done, it can be hard to interpret
results because of inconsistencies, unlike in a regulated study.
Even with natural treatments, speak with your doctor first, because
you want to make sure there isn’t a contraindication with other
medication your taking, or there may be side effects you aren’t
aware of.
Valerian Root
Valerian is growing mostly in Europe and Asia. It has been used
since ancient times as a natural remedy for insomnia.
In studies by the National Institute of Health, it was suggested that
valerian root can be helpful with sleep disorders, but because it
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wasn’t a controlled study, people took different quantities, for
different lengths of time, and there’s no standard, just as people
used different varieties or brands of the valerian root. Overall, the
evidence from these trials for the sleep promoting effects of valerian
root is inconclusive.
Although valerian tends to be somewhat less effective than
prescribed medication, the positive about valerian is that it has less
‘hangover’ effects on your body and mind afterwards. Simply put, it
makes you feel less drowsy and confused the next day.
Chamomile
Chamomile grows mostly in various parts of Europe and in Asia.
Although also used holistically for curing insomnia, it is generally
considered a cure-all calm-all type of herb. It can definitely be
found in every household nowadays in teabag form at least.
Chamomile tea is most effective when sipped slowly 30-45 minutes
before going to bed.
Melatonin
Melatonin is the best studied natural remedy for insomnia, although
in the United States it remains unregulated. It’s been shown to help
with the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, though not in helping
people feel rested during daytime hours, so doesn’t say much for
the quality of sleep.
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It’s been suggested that it may help:
Elderly people who have a lowered melatonin level or those
who are dependent on sleeping medication.
People without sight, it may help retain their circadian cycle
so that they can sleep at regular hours.
Those with jet lag (travellers), though the best dosage is
unclear.
During withdrawal from sleep medication. It’s possible to help
people come off their dependency on sleep medication and
still maintain a good sleep.
People with delayed sleep syndrome. If you sleep at odd
hours, having to sleep very late or very early, this may help.
The biggest problem is in consistency. Since there is not a standard
to follow, and each person reacts differently, these are inconclusive,
and dosage amounts swing radically. Some studies suggest as little
as 0.3mg is the correct dosage, while other studies show that if you
take between 3-5 mg, it may counteract the effect, and make it
hard to go to sleep, and yet goes on to say you may need a high
amount when you first start. With such inconsistencies and not
being regulated, it’s a guessing game.
As interesting note is that melatonin is actually classified as a
dietary supplement, and not as a drug, and there’s no control on
either quality or how effective it is. When it comes down to it, by
taking Melatonin, you are basically experimenting on yourself.
There have been serious side effects from people relying on natural
herbal remedies. Please speak with your doctor before trying any
new treatment for insomnia.
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Worth noting is that some “natural” remedies were found to contain
standard prescription medication. Please take note of the warnings
below:
Chinese Herbal Remedies – Be very careful with herbal
remedies that come from China, as a study has shown up to
30% have been laced with potent pharmaceuticals! That’s a
scary statistic and not worth taking a chance with. Things
such as phenacetin and steroids have been found in the
herbal remedies! Some even contained toxic metals, which
I’m sure you aren’t interested in ingesting. One example is
Sleeping Buddha. This was a sleeping supplement touted as
an herbal remedy, but it actually had benzodiazepine in it.
Another example on an herbal remedy from China was called
Jin Bu Huan and there were reports of being getting acute
hepatitis with it. Your health is not worth gambling with.
Valerian root – Valerian root has been said to cause vivid
dreams, and blurred vision with high doses, along with
changes in heart rhythms.
Kava kava - Kava kava acts as a sedative. Some studies
indicuate it can help with lack of sleep due to stress. Some
people have had problems with dizziness while taking this
herbal remedy. Another serious issue is that some people
have associated liver failure to the Kava Kava. If that’s not
enough to get your attention, it can also cause serious
interaction with some medications – one example alprazolam
(an anti-anxiety drug).
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Many people turn to herbal remedies to help them with sleep
problems, or take prescriptions, but there are behavioural
methods that can help you, and are much safer. Let’s take a look
at some of the behavioural methods that you can try.
One of the best ways to treat insomnia naturally is by making small
lifestyle changes, such as:
Change your diet
Take vitamins, such as magnesium
Avoid coffee and various caffeine containing beverages
Exercise regularly by as starting yoga, Pilates
Practice various forms of meditation
Listen to calming and relaxing music, such as Reiki and Zen
flute music
Open your bedroom window to have fresh air coming
throughout the day
Consider using mattresses made of latex or memory foam, or
if it is too expensive, use a latex mattress topper or memory
foam mattress topper on your hard mattress. Often times
laying on a hard surface contributes to twisting and turning
throughout the night and not being able to fall asleep
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at misconceptions people
have about sleep and uses a positive approach to teach new sleep
behaviours. Talking with a therapist can help you look at your
beliefs and behaviours when it comes to sleep. Examining these
things can help you address the problem in combination with
creating good new sleeping patterns and stimulus control. CBT has
shown to be an effective manner of treating insomnia and may even
reduce medical issues associated with insomnia.
By using CBT, you’re looking at how your negative behaviours cause
your disruptive sleep. It aims to replace these negative behaviours
with new positive behaviours. We have beliefs and thoughts about
sleep, and sometimes a tiny, isolated incident can end up causing a
chronic hang-up that causes ongoing sleep problems.
How we think about sleep is important to understand. When we
understand our thoughts, we can learn the reason behind our
actions and treat the problem. This technique treats thoughts
almost as a science, and repairs the underlying issue.
Examples:
1. People often have anxiety over “getting a good night” of
sleep. If somebody has it in their mind that a poor night of
sleep is detrimental to their following day, it creates extra
anxiety and aggravates the problem, feeding into insomnia.
Basically, the more you worry about sleep, the more problems
you may have sleeping. In fixing this, you need to change this
thought process, and see that maybe you’ll be just a little
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2. Sometimes people try to force themselves to sleep more than
they need. By applying this unnecessary pressure on yourself,
your natural response it to rebel against it. When we focus on
what we desperately don’t want to happen (lack of sleep) it
seems to control us. Let the body follow the natural process
and sleep when it needs sleep, rather than trying to force
extra sleep in an unnatural manner. Let sleep happen
naturally.
It’s beneficial to keep a sleep diary while practicing CBT therapy.
It’s helpful in teaching you to think differently.
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Other Techniques to Treat Insomnia
Stimulus control and sleep restrictions are two techniques that can
change your sleeping patterns. Another technique sometimes used
is paradoxical intention. These techniques look at changing habits
and reprogramming how we think about sleep.
Stimulus control
Stimulus control therapy is based around the thought that someone
with ongoing insomnia associates not being able to sleep with either
their bedroom or a certain bedtime. You’ll retrain your brain by
limited the amount of time you spend in your bedroom. This way
rather than going into your bedroom and spending time in there
dealing with sleeplessness, you’ll learn to associate your bedroom
with successful sleeping attempts.
The general guidelines of stimulus control are:
Going to bed only when you’re sleepy
Limit non-sleeping activities – meaning no TV, reading or such
in your bedroom
If you don’t fall asleep after the first 15 minutes, leave the
bedroom until you’re sleepy
Routine is important, so wake at the same time every day
regardless of how many hours you slept
Avoid naps if you’re able to
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Paradoxical intention
Paradoxical intention means doing the opposite of what you want,
and taking it to the extreme. If you have an ongoing fear that you
won’t sleep, you build upon that fear. After awhile you almost fear
the thought as much as the actual action.
What paradoxical intention does is it confronts the situation and
eliminates the fear, so that you’re not focusing on the fear itself.
In this situation, you may stay awake rather than try to go to sleep,
and turn your attention to something other than the fear. You want
to not focus on the fear, but on something comforting. Only once
you’re relaxed, then you can go to bed. This way you don’t
associate the fear with bedtime.
Sleep restriction
Sleep restriction says that each person needs their own set amount
of sleep. A person who suffers from lack of sleep may feel that they
have to “catch up on sleep” and may lay restlessly in bed. Sleep
restriction therapy reduces the amount of nonsleeping time a
person with insomnia spends in bed.
To try sleep restriction, look at the average sleep time that you get.
If you usually sleep for 7 hours, but you’re in bed for 8 hours,
maybe tossing and turning for an hour, with sleep restriction
therapy, you’ll only allow yourself to stay in bed for those 7 hours,
not the 8 hours you’re usually in bed for.
This might seem odd at first, but what you’re doing is limiting the
amount of time you’re not sleeping in your bed, and training
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yourself to spend only sleeping time in bed. The overall time spent
in bed is adjusted as it becomes clear how much sleep is truly
needed.
Light for Healing Purposes
Light and darkness have a direct impact on the circadian and has
more of an correlation than even the time of day. During the
daylight hours, bright light discourages the sleepy feeling, and as
day becomes night, darkness can cause you to feel sleepy.
Sometimes light therapy is used as a treatment with people who
have sleep disorders. It’s a basic therapy that focuses on “telling”
the body when to be awake, and when it’s time to sleep.
This internal clock that we have is located in the brain. While it
seems like “it just happens”, it’s actually sending a signal, and the
nerves just above the eye area helps the process. This internal
clock helps control your circadian rhythms and uses signals such as
light and dark. It’s not just light and dark though; other signals
used are hormones, alertness, and even body temperature. This
internal clock is then “set” by sunlight, or other bright light. Light
therapy is simply another method people use in treating sleep
disorders, but working with this natural circadian rhythm.
Sometimes our internal clock needs to be “re-set” and that’s where
light therapy can help. Light therapy allows the body to relearn
when to be sleepy and when to be alert and awake but trying to
readjust your circadian rhythm.
Light therapy is only part of a treatment plan that should be guided
by a doctor who is familiar with sleep disorders. It’s a simple
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process and is non-invasive. A special lamp is used that emits a
very bright light. You’ll simply sit in front of this light for
approximately 30 minutes each day.
Who can benefit from light therapy?
Shift workers who work odd hours
People who traveller often, or has to adjust to time zone
changes
Nursing home patients
People with delayed sleep-phase syndrome
Do not just assume that light therapy is for you. Check with your
doctor before choosing to use light therapy. There are even people
who should avoid the use of light therapy, such as:
People who are highly sensitive to light (skin/eyes)
People taking medications that increase the risk for
photosensitivity
People with bipolar disorder
If you’re under a physician’s care, and using light therapy, the use
of the light therapy will depend on what type of insomnia you’re
suffering from. Those who wake very early will use light therapy at
different times than those who have trouble falling asleep.
The light therapy is a special box that emits strong light. The
standard dose of light is measured in illuminations- standard being
5,000 to 10,000 lux. You’ll be directed to sit in front of this light in
the range of 30-60 minutes. Your doctor will tell you how close or
far away to be from the light. You’ll also be advised to what limits to
be aware of such as duration of exposure.
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Light therapy is a safe, natural method of correcting lack of sleep
and some sleeping disorders. While no major side effects have been
shown, some people do report minor side effects such as: dry eyes,
dry skin, headache and nausea. To avoid side effects, start light
therapy slowly and build up the amount of time you use the light
therapy. Again, it’s recommended that you use light therapy under
a doctor’s care.
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Tips and Tricks for Coping With Insomnia
Here are some tips and tricks that others have used to treat their
own insomnia. Maybe one of these will be helpful to you.
Keep a regular schedule: A regular schedule is crucial for
regulating your body. By waking at the same time each day,
as well as going to bed at the same time, your body learns
this new schedule and you can “re-set” your internal clock.
Incorporate bedtime rituals: Start a bedtime routine. By
creating patterns of relaxation before bed, you can slowly
reduce that fear or feeling that you won’t fall asleep. Maybe
have a cup or herbal tea, read a book or play relaxing music.
It should be a pleasant experience and set a pattern. This way
your body is gently coaxed into a relaxed state and a pattern
of sleepiness.
Relax for a while before going to bed: Quieting your mind
is often vital for a restful night of sleep. Often times our
minds become quite busy when we lay down. Create a pattern
of taking a warm bath, or maybe meditating, or do slow and
relaxing breathing exercises. Once you’ve quieted your busy
mind, your body will be more prepared for sleep.
Avoid a large, heavy meal before bed: Heavy meals can
cause indigestion. This in turn disturbs your sleep cycle. Avoid
drinking or eating too much before you go to bed. When you
drink to much, you may be awakened to use the bathroom
during the night, and may find it difficult to get back to sleep.
Avoid eating or drinking within 2 hours of going to bed.
Some bedtime snacks may help: While we just discussed
not eating before bedtime, other people find that by ingesting
a particular amino acid called tryptophan, found in milk,
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Jot down all concerns and worries: Anxiety keeps our
nervous system on edge, and when you’re continually
thinking of what needs to be done, or worrying about
something, the brain gets excited and starts sending
messages to the adrenal glands. One way to combat this is to
sit down and write out these things before going to bed. If
you take a moment to write out the problems and possible
solutions, you won’t have to think about them when you are
in bed trying to sleep.
Go to sleep when you are sleepy: Though it sounds
obvious, often times we push off that feeling of sleepiness,
and then become almost “overtired” making it hard to sleep.
If you’re body is telling you it’s sleepy, try to sleep. Learn to
recognize the signals your body gives you, and soon sleep will
become more natural over time.
Consider avoiding "over-the-counter" sleep aids: There
are many people who rely on sleep aids, but they rarely work
in the long-term, and are for those who have very short-term
sleep problems. Sleep aids can actually cause sleepiness in
the daytime with extended use of antihistamine sleep aids.
Avoid relying on alcohol: Alcohol can cause fragmented
sleep. While some people find one drink can help them to feel
sleepy, others who have insomnia sometimes suffer from a
different problem, and ends up causing restlessness.
Do visualization techniques: Repetitive visualizing can help
quiet or shut the mind down, so you can prepare to sleep. A
mundane visual is an easy way to distract the mind from
thinking about other more stressful things.
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Get out of bed if unable to sleep. Often times staying in
bed when you can’t sleep feeds on itself. You’re laying there
worrying that you won’t fall asleep, which cause a cycle of
stress and worry, making it harder to fall asleep. If you’re
unable to sleep, get out of bed until you’re sleepy.
Avoid stimulating activity: Avoid bright lights, reading
something stressful, or watching a television program that is
stimulating or high energy.
Consider a change of bedtime: If insomnia seems to be
persistent, sometimes the easiest option is changing your
bedtime. If you’re used to going to bed at 11pm, try moving
your bedtime back an hour to see if you’re sleepier at 12. If
you stay up later than you’re used to, your body may feel
sleepy and you may find that sleep comes easier when you
get into bed. Another option is looking at how many hours of
sleep your body works best with, and count back that many
hours. If you find you generally sleep for 6 hours each night,
count backwards from the time you want to get up. If your
plan is to wake up at 7am, then you would count back 6 hours
to 1am. This may seem counterproductive at first, but by
training the body to sleep a certain amount of time may be
helpful to you. Either of these time changes may be helpful to
you.
Many people suffer from insomnia, but many people also resolve
their problem with safe and natural methods. Hopefully one of the
methods mentioned in this guide can help you solve your problem. I
highly recommend you speak with a medical professional if you’re
suffering from insomnia for a longer period of time. Together you
can find the right plan to help you combat you’re your insomnia.
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