Sleep is a Basic Need!!!

LOSS OF SLEEP IS CUMMULATIVE. A PERSON CAN BECOME PSYCHOTIC WITH EXCESSIVE LOSS OF SLEEP.

Insomnia is inadequate sleep because of one or more of the following:

1) Trouble falling asleep
2) Waking up frequently during the night and having difficulty returning to sleep
3) Waking up too early in the morning

Insomnia may cause problems during the day, for example, tiredness or feeling foggy, a lack of energy, and increased irritability. Concentration and attention to detail can become difficult rendering the person ineffective which could cause problems with employment and in interpersonal relationships.

Insomnia is defined as transient (short term), intermittent (on and off), and chronic(constant). Insomnia lasting from a single night to a few weeks is called transient insomnia. If episodes of transient insomnia occur sporadically, this lack of sleep is called intermittent. Chronic insomnia is the lack of sleep most nights and lasts a month or longer.

What is the cause of insomnia?

Certain conditions may make people more likely to experience insomnia. For example:
 1) The elderly population (insomnia occurs more frequently in those over age 60)
 2) The female category
 3) A history of depression or other mental illnesses

If other conditions exsist such as stress, anxiety, a medical problem, or the use of certain medications may make insomnia more likely to occur.  There are many causes of insomnia. Transient and intermittent insomnia generally occur in people who are temporarily experiencing one or more of the following:
 1) Stress, stress, and more stress
 2) Enviornmental change and a non-soothing place to sleep
 3) Temperature extremes
 4)  Excitation
 5)  Sleep/wake schedule problems, for example, due to jet lag or shift work 
 6)  Some medication side effects

Chronic insomnia is intricate and often results from a combination of factors, including underlying physical or mental disorders. One of the most common causes of chronic insomnia is depression. Other underlying causes include: Pain, kidney and liver disease, heart problems, difficulty breathing, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, parkinson’s disease, and hyperthyroidism. This list can go on and on.

Chronic insomnia may also be due to behavioral factors including the misuse of caffeine, alcohol, or the use of other substances like methamphetamine, LSD, and cocaine. Disrupted sleep/wake cycles  may occur with shift work or other nighttime activity schedules.

If one is prone to insomnia because of medical or psychological problems then the implementation of sleep hygiene is in order.

If you:

1) Expect to have difficulty sleeping and  you worry about it. The flip side of this self fulfilling prophecy is to add structure, follow a plan, and prepare for sleep each night using a schedule. A schedule may include taking a shower or bath, reading before bed, sipping decaffeinated tea or milk, listening to soothing music, dressing in your favorite PJ’s, the use of soothing aroma therapy and so on. You have to make you own plan. Choose activities that will work for you.

2) Ingest too much of caffeine, chocolate and other chemicals which cause excitation. The flip side is to reduce or stop the intake of these chemicals especially while you are having difficulty sleeping.

3) Drink alcohol before bedtime. The flip side: Don’t drink alcohol as a routine behavior before bed. Where alcohol may seem to lull you asleep, the effects wear off during the night and you will wake up, usually feeling agitated. Alcohol plays havoc on the nervous system.

4) Smoke cigarettes before bedtime.  Flip side: Don’t smoke! Don’t give the cigarette companies any more money! They are trying to kill us with their products!  Oh, and nicotine is a stimulant.  

5) Nap in the afternoon or evening. Flip side: Don’t nap! Clean out a closet! Do anything but sleep during the day! I must add a disclaimer here. If you are a new mother or father get sleep when ever you can! Sleep when the baby sleeps.

6)  Continually experience disrupted sleep/wake schedules. This one has no flip side as most continual disrupted sleep is usually due to shift work schedules. My best advice is to try to work the same shift everyday and on your days off try to sleep on the same schedule. If that is not possible, preparing and adding structure to your sleep schedule becomes a daily priority.

Who gets it?

Insomnia is found in males and females of all age groups, although it seems to be more common in females especially after menopause and in the elderly. The ability to sleep, rather than the need for sleep decreases with advancing age.

How is insomnia diagnosed?

People who suffer from insomnia are evaluated with the help of a medical, psychiatric, and a sleep history.  Family members are included in this assessment as they can offer much information about the sleep habits of their loved one. Sleep studies may be recommended, but only if there is a notion that the person may have a primary sleep disorder such as narcolepsy.

Treatment

Transient and intermittent insomnia may not require treatment since episodes last only a few days at a time. For example, if insomnia is due to a temporary change in the sleep/wake schedule, as with jet lag, the person’s biological clock or circadian rhythm will often go back to normal on its own. However, for some people who experience daytime and impaired performance as a result of transient insomnia, the use of short-acting sleeping pills may improve sleep and next-day alertness. As with all drugs, there are potential side effects. Over the counter sleep aids are not recommended for true insomnia. It is best to be under a doctors care, because as mentioned above insomnia can be a symptom of severe medical conditions.
Treatment for chronic insomnia consists of first, diagnosing and treating underlying medical or psychological problems and then identify behaviors that may worsen insomnia and stopping (or reducing) them. Sleeping pills may be prescribed, although the long-term use of sleeping pills for chronic insomnia is not a common practice. Doctors don’t like to create an addiction. In this case most doctors will prescribe various non-addictive but sleep producing medications. A person taking any sleeping pill should be under the supervision of a physician to closely monitor the effectiveness of the medication and monitor any adverse side effects to the drug. In general, these drugs are prescribed at the lowest dose and for the shortest duration of time needed to relieve the sleep related symptoms. For some of these medicines, the dose must be gradually lowered as the medicine is discontinued because if stopped abruptly, it can cause insomnia to reoccur. This is called rebound insomnia. Sleep medications are changing rapidly. Non-addictive sleep medications are available now. Finally, there are behavioral techniques to improve sleep, such as relaxation therapy and reconditioning.

Relaxation Therapy: There are effective techniques that can reduce anxiety and body tension. Examples of these techniques are deep breathing or visualization. As a result, the person’s mind is able to stop racing or calm, the muscles can relax, and restful sleep can occur. It usually takes a lot practice to learn these techniques and to achieve effective relaxation.
Reconditioning: Another staitegy that may help people who suffer from insomnia is to recondition themselves to associate the bed and bedtime with sleep. For most people, this means not using their beds for any activity other than sleep and sex. As part of the reconditioning process, the person is usually advised to go to bed only when sleepy. If unable to fall asleep, the person is told to get up, stay up until sleepy, and then return to bed. Throughout this process, the person should avoid naps and wake up and go to bed at the same time each day. Eventually the person’s body will be conditioned to associate the bed and bedtime with sleep.

To sum up, sleep is a basic need. Humans are not able to function without it. Excessive loss of sleep can cause psychosis and even death. Placing sleep as a daily priority is so very important if you have trouble with insomnia. Remember sleep restores your body and mind.

www.medicine.net has a very good explanation about sleep. Remember increased knowledge will give you a sense of control over your life situation.

Good luck, goodnight, and sleep tight!
 

Tags: sleep hygiene