Devices blamed for rise in insomnia

From taipeitimes.com

Doctors recommend not using electronic devices for 30 minutes before going to sleep, citing research showing chronic insomnia among one in 10 people aged 15 years or older.
Doctors said the research, published on March 24, showed that women and people aged 50 to 69 are particularly susceptible to insomnia.
The telephone research, conducted among 1,073 respondents by the Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine and the Chang Gung Medical Foundation Sleep Centre, was aimed at addressing the increasing prevalence of sleep disorders, researchers said.
Centre director Chen Ning-hung (陳濘宏) said that chronic insomnia can manifest as an inability to fall asleep 30 minutes after going to bed, an inability to fall back to sleep after waking up during the night and waking up earlier than expected in the morning.
Chen said sleep problems are classified as chronic insomnia when they occur three or more times per week and persist for three or more months.
Chen said that a correlation between advanced age and insomnia was also found, with those aged 50 to 69 twice as likely to develop insomnia as the same age-group was 10 years ago.
Women are nearly twice as likely to experience insomnia as men, Chen said, citing a 13 percent rate among women compared with 8.6 percent among men.
Centre clinical psychologist Wu Chia-shuo (吳家碩) said the high rate of insomnia among women is linked to changes in hormone levels caused by menstruation, pregnancy and menopause, adding that insomnia rates among mothers is as high as 57.7 percent.
Wu said the reason for sleep being affected by electronic devices has to do with the body’s production of melatonin — a hormone secreted by the body in higher quantities when the retina receives less light, telling the body to prepare for sleep.

Wu said that the blue light emitted from the screens of mobile devices tricks the brain into thinking it is still daytime and to therefore reduce melatonin production.
Research conducted in 2013 showed that using a mobile device for two hours before sleep causes a 23 percent reduction in melatonin levels in the body, Wu said, adding that doctors advise refraining from device use in the 30 minutes before sleep.
It is also best to take a break from mobile devices after every one hour of use, Wu said.
“If you do not touch your cellphone in the last half hour before you go to bed, it will be much easier to get a good sleep,” Wu said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2017/04/12/2003668570

Are you a night owl? It might be time to check on your health

From sanluisobispo.com

Night owls are those folks who do their best work after midnight and prefer breakfast around noon. They’re in high gear when the rest of the world is sleeping and have trouble conforming to the 8-to-5 routine.
This lifestyle is pre-programmed at birth and is more prevalent in men than women. According to Katherine Sharkey, associate professor of internal medicine and psychiatry and human behaviour at Brown University, “More women tend to be larks while men lean toward being night owls.” She also said patterns can change over time. “School-age children are generally early birds, while teenagers tend to be night owls. As they age, adults gradually transition back into morning people.”
The historic roster of night owls is long and illustrious, including such notables as Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill and Keith Richards. In a 2009 interview with Newsweek, President Barack Obama said, “I’m a night owl … I usually have about a half-hour to read before I go to bed … about midnight, 12:30 a.m. — sometimes a little later.”
But night owls are also prone to emotional vulnerabilities. For instance, they’re more likely to suffer from insomnia than the early birds in their lives. Other sleep problems include difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking up too early and fatigue during the day.

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Night owls have high rates of depression. A study appearing in Human Psychopharmacology reports that insomnia is accompanied by depression in 40 percent of cases. It’s also associated with increased risk of suicide.
Night owls engage in greater amounts of risky behaviour and are apt to be single or have short-term romantic relationships, said Dario Maestripieri, professor of comparative human development at the University of Chicago. “In addition, male night owls report twice as many sexual partners than male early birds.”
Physical health suffers, too. Men who are night owls have increased rates of type 2 diabetes and loss of muscle mass, according to research appearing in the April 2015 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Women who stay up late are twice as likely to have metabolic syndrome (excess belly fat, high blood sugar and overall unhealthy fat levels) than their early-to-bed counterparts.
Because night owls spend long stretches of time alone, they may become socially isolated, a condition John Cacioppo, psychology professor at the University of Chicago considers a chief contributor to declining health.
We can’t necessarily reprogram our innate patterns. But there’s plenty we can do to create a healthy and stable lifestyle.

Tips for night owls

• Get enough sleep. Aim for seven to eight hours each night, regardless of when you finally get to bed.
• Get adequate sunlight. Lack of light is the chief cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder. If you can’t get out during the day, use artificial light.
• Avoid late-night snacking. Limit caloric intake after 8 p.m. to prevent putting on extra pounds.
• Schedule outings with friends. Play pick-up basketball with your buddies or join a book club.
• Exercise early in the day. Don’t work out late at night. That may interfere with sleep. Break a sweat early so you can wind down at bedtime.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/living/family/linda-lewis-griffith/article142301264.html

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How to Beat Insomnia

From dailyutahchronicle.com

Insomnia is something most adults will experience at some point in their life. Whether it is not being able to fall asleep or waking up multiple times during the night, everyone can agree not being able to sleep properly sucks. Adults need around eight hours of sleep a night. Insomnia can make that rather difficult.
Thankfully, most people will experience short-term insomnia. Short-term or acute insomnia is usually connected to a recent event that has left its mark and left you unable to sleep. This type of insomnia normally lasts a few days or weeks, but eventually goes away. There is also long-term, or chronic, insomnia which can last for months or even years.
With either type of insomnia, there is always the possibility that insomnia is just a side-effect of a different problem. According to the National Sleep Foundation, insomnia can be caused by allergies, body pain, mental health disorders and even asthma. Working to fix the base issue will likely help with insomnia, though sometimes insomnia itself is the primary problem. Luckily, there are many ways to deal with all types of insomnia.

First, examine your life. If you are going through an especially stressful time there is a good chance stress is keeping you awake at night. Working to address the causes of stress may get you back to sleeping. If you have recently changed bedtime routines or just arrived in a new time zone, give your body a few weeks to adjust to the new routine. Bad sleep habits can also be keeping you awake. As much as we all love TV, computers and our phones, they can interfere with our body’s natural sleep cycle if viewed in the hours before sleep. Other bad habits include eating too much before bed, consuming too much caffeine during the day, napping during the day and being in an uncomfortable sleeping environment.
The next place to look is where you are trying to sleep. It is common knowledge that bright lights and loud noises will keep us awake, but there are other environmental factors that cause insomnia. Using your bed for things other than sleeping can warp how your brain views the bed. Using your bed as a place for eating or work can mean your brain thinks it needs to be more awake in case you are going to work or eat. Try and reserve your bed for only bedtime activities.
If your insomnia persists after adjusting bad habits or getting through a stressful time, there are other home remedies worth trying. The old trick of a warm cup of milk before bed actually holds merit. Dr. Jeanne Duffy says the warm glass of milk helps your body fall into a routine so long as you maintain it. Duffy also suggests lavender scents to help decrease anxiety and promote relaxation. Try combining a bath with lavender scents for an even more relaxing night.
For insomnia not solved with at-home remedies, talk with a doctor to find the best sleeping solution for you. Chronic insomnia can be very difficult to manage alone, so seeking a professional opinion is encouraged. Sleep is far too important to put off fixing. The Mayo Clinic states that problems sleeping can impact your performance professionally, leave you with slower reaction times and can even put you at risk for mental health issues.
So no matter the cause, insomnia can greatly affect your life if left untreated. Find a routine that helps you fall asleep and stick with it. If you find you are still plagued by sleepless nights, find a doctor so you can enjoy your Zs again.

http://dailyutahchronicle.com/2017/03/29/how-to-beat-insomnia/