Tag Archives: insomnia
Waking Up From Sleep At 3 A.M.? You’re Not Alone
Age, indigestion and sleep apnea are all suspects. But if you can set your watch by your middle-of-the-night risings, blame alcohol.
It all results in the same thing: you just can’t get to sleep. But the underlying causes of insomnia are multiple, and it may be a mix of biological, medical and psychological issues, explains Michael Perlis, director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Insomnia falls into several broad categories based on those times of the night when you have problems sleeping, and these tend to align with predictable triggers. “A general rule of thumb is that if you’re struggling to fall asleep at the start of the night, that’s due to anxiety or stressful life events,” Perlis says. Environmental issues—like a too-bright room, or staring at device screens—can also mess with your ability to fall asleep.
On the other hand, Perlis says depression is linked with “late insomnia”—the kind that wrests you from sleep so late in the night that you’re forced to rise early for the day.
When it comes to “middle insomnia,” which forces your eyes open a few hours after you’ve fallen asleep, Perlis says two common medical conditions are often to blame: gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, and sleep apnea. “In the case of sleep apnea, you wake up because you’ve stopped breathing,” he explains. “With GERD, you wake up because stomach acids are burning your esophagus.”
Even the healthiest sleepers wake a few times during the night, though for the most part you’re not awake long enough to remember them, Perlis says.
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Sleep Better On Vacation With These Tips
Looking to sleep on vacation?
Having trouble catching some zzz’s while on vacation? Travelers often find that their normal sleep patterns are disrupted while away from the cozy confines of their own beds. Happily, the industry is introducing innovative sleep-focused programming, from insomnia treatments to zero-gravity adult nap chairs to help promote quality rest. With that in mind, here are 10 snooze-inducing solutions to help you get some shut-eye while traveling.
Insomnia sufferers may have abnormal brain activity
To sleep, perchance to dream … and to keep your brain working: Scientists have long known about the importance of getting a good night’s sleep to improve memory, learning and mental health. But the underlying cause of primary insomnia — a chronic inability to sleep soundly that’s not associated with the use of stimulants, or medical disorders such as depression — has eluded researchers.
Now, a small study comparing healthy participants to patients who have primary insomnia has found that the people with insomnia have weakened neural connections to and from the thalamus, the region of the brain that regulates consciousness, sleep and alertness.
A sleep scientist doesn’t recommend sleeping pills
Sleeping pills? Not so fast
For millions of Americans, one of the biggest obstacles of the day (or in this case, the night) is getting a good sleep.
Many are tempted by the quick-fix of taking sedatives or hypnotic medications — fancy words for sleeping pills. If you do this often, you’re not alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2013 that about 4% of US adults older than 20 used a prescription sleep aid in the past month of their study.
But unless you have a diagnosible sleep disorder such as insomnia — which actually isn’t as common as many think — sleeping pills are a bad way to go, according to sleep scientist Patrick Fuller, a neurologist at Harvard Medical School.
Do NOT Do These 7 Things Before Sleep
Getting a good night’s rest is about more than just going to bed at an appropriate time.
It’s also about arranging your evening so that it’s not stressful or stimulating in a way that can make it hard to fall and stay asleep.
We know: It’s easier said than done.
To help you out, we’ve rounded up seven common behaviors that can ruin your rest — plus what you can do instead.
Sleep loss could be the reason you’re feeling cranky
A lesson in sleep loss
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) call insufficient sleep a “public health problem” and estimate that 30% of Americans get less than 6 hours of sleep a night.
Lack of sleep is linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors. Diseases linked to sleep insufficiency include hypertension, diabetes, depression, obesity and cancer.
Contributing factors include round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules as well as disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea.
Until now, it has not been clear what causes the emotional impairments triggered by sleep loss.
