Who wakes up feeling refreshed and energized on a daily basis? Who experiences some trouble sleeping several nights a week? I do! (I am the insomnia queen). If so, you are not alone. A study done by the National Sleep Foundation reported that only about 50% of adults say they get a good night’s sleep almost every night. Women report even more trouble sleeping. A recent poll done by the National Sleep Foundation reported nearly 70% of women have trouble sleeping on some nights of the week. 29% of the women surveyed reported taking a sleep aide at least a few nights a week. 

I have had “sleep issues” for as long as I can remember. I starting taking Nyquil to help me sleep in my 20’s. It then progressed to Unisom. That stopped working after a while. I tried natural alternatives like accupuncture (along with sleep herbs), melatonin, valerian, meditation nothing worked. I then got a prescription for ambien from my doctor. Worked great for a while - then stopped (actually causes me to sleep great for 2 hours but then I feel WIDE awake after 2 hours so sleep is impossible). I am now seeing a sleep specialist at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital Sleep Disorder Center (more about this in another post!).

So why do we have so much trouble sleeping? Look at our lifestyles. We work put in long hours at work, get home late, watch tv, get on the computer late at night and then expect to fall asleep. We are wired! And other culprits include caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, eating late at night and stress.

There are numerous consequences to inadequate sleep, including:
 Impaired memory and thought processes. The National Sleep Foundation Study found that over 25% of working adults said they had missed work, events and activities, or made errors at work because of sleep-related issues in the previous three months. I know that I personally have made mistakes at work and sometimes have trouble remembering the simplest things.
 Depression
 Decreased immune system response

These sleep deficits can lead to poor work performance, driving accidents, relationship problems, and mood problems like anger and depression. In addition, health problems like increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and obesity have been linked to inadequate sleep. Also, when you do not sleep well, your motivation to eat healthy, exercise or even have sex goes down.

How much sleep do you need?
It really depends upon the person, however sleep experts say that most people need between 7-8 hours to feel refreshed and alert. This can vary as some people function fine on less and others need more. 1 in 6 people polled in the survey reported sleeping less than 6 hours a night.

What can you do about inadequate sleep?
Most people can improve their sleep by making some lifestyle changes.  Here are 10 tips to improve your sleep:

1. Keep a regular sleep schedule. This will help to keep your biological clock steady.
2. Develop a soothing sleep ritual prior to going to bed. Avoid any activities that stimulate your mind such as watching tv or getting on the computer.
3. Limit caffeine and nicotine. These are stimulants that can remain in the body for up to 12 hours. I would recommend stopping caffeine intake by 3 pm.
4. Limit alcohol. While alcohol may initially cause you to feel sleepy, it can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.
5. Avoid taking naps during the day.
6. Limit the time you spend in bed. If you can not fall asleep after 15 minutes, get up and do something else like reading.
7. Associate your bed only with sleep and sex. Avoid watching tv or doing other activities on in bed.
8. Exercise to relieve stress, but avoid heavy exercise for several hours prior to bedtime.
9. Avoid eating heavy meals or drinking large amounts of fluid prior to going to bed. This can cause you to feel uncomfortable or make you have to get up to urinate.
10. Create a pleasant sleep environment. Cool temperature work best. Get a white noise  machine if you have noisy neighbors, etc.

If you are still having trouble sleeping despite trying these tips, you will need to consider your emotional state. Are you feeling very stressed out or depressed? If so, you may benefit from meeting with a therapist. Other options would be to meet with a sleep behaviorist who can help you to change your negative thoughts and expectations that may worsen your insomnia. Lastly, there are medications that can help you sleep. Some of them are short term while others can be used on a more long term basis - under the care of a doctor.

Bottom line, insomnia is a common and annoying condition that  potentially serious consequences.  It is important to know that it can be treated. You do not have to live feeling chronically exhausted - there are effective treatments to improve the quality of life for anyone who has a sleeping disorder

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