Can't sleep? The reason could be physical

From jhnewsandguide.com

By Martha Lewis

“Why can’t I sleep?” It's one of the top search phrases on Google. So many people struggle to sleep well, and I know from personal experience how frustrating it is to not know why.

As a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner, I believe that most insomnia for most people is caused by something physical going on in the body. From what I’ve learned in my training, there are five main physical reasons why people can’t sleep. I’ll share them today to give hope that there is a reason you aren’t sleeping, and that you can find out why and fix it.

The first common cause of insomnia is hormone imbalance. This can be sex hormones like low oestrogen and progesterone or high testosterone, all of which can cause sleep issues. Finding out your hormone levels is key to overcoming your sleep problems. As a functional medicine practitioner, my goal is to find out why those hormones are low so that we can get things back in balance and not have to take meds or supplements forever.

Martha Lewis COURTESY PHOTO 

There are other hormones that can affect your sleep, too, especially cortisol. I’ve found that many of my clients have insomnia because they’re releasing cortisol at night when they shouldn’t be. Cortisol suppresses melatonin and wakes you up, causing racing thoughts that are hard to control. Figuring out why your body is releasing cortisol is key.

Another reason you may be waking up at night or having a hard time falling asleep is from eating food you’re sensitive to. Many people are sensitive to the Big Five: gluten, dairy, eggs, soy and corn. You could also be sensitive to foods that you think of as healthy, like broccoli or salmon. The more food sensitivities people have, the more unhealthy their guts are. The idea isn’t to avoid these foods forever but to eliminate them temporarily and work on healing the gut so that you’re able to tolerate most foods in the future.

Eating foods you are sensitive to affects your sleep because it causes low-grade inflammation, day and night. Cortisol is an anti-inflammatory hormone and so it comes to the rescue to deal with that inflammation. When that happens at night, it wakes you up and makes it hard to go back to sleep. I run a food sensitivity test on clients so I can quickly find out what they’re reacting to that is causing inflammation.

Another major cause of insomnia is mineral imbalance. The most important thing to know is that minerals need to be in balance with each other. Too much calcium, for example, can deplete magnesium. Both low calcium and low magnesium can contribute to insomnia. If you’ve struggled to sleep, you’ve probably tried magnesium. While magnesium is critical for sleep, you need the right balance of other vitamins and minerals to absorb it. I use a hair tissue mineral analysis test to assess mineral status and deficiencies. This test also gives insight into how different systems in the body are working: thyroid, adrenals, blood sugar, nervous system, stress, hormones and more. With this valuable information, we can get minerals back in balance to help get your systems back in balance, too.

The fourth reason why you’re waking up at night has to do with your gut. When your gut wall is damaged, toxins leak through and enter the bloodstream, causing lots of inflammation. You develop a leaky gut from stress, toxins like antibiotics and pesticides, eating foods you’re sensitive to and gut infections from parasites or candida.

Another way the gut affects sleep is called dysbiosis, or an imbalance of bad and good bacteria. Good bacteria are in charge of making neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and GABA. Up to 90% of melatonin is made in the gut. When bad bacteria run the show, the good bacteria can’t do their job of producing these hormones that help you feel good, relax and sleep.

Having a parasite or an infection in your gut can also sabotage sleep. The middle of the night is when these creatures are active and releasing toxins, which causes inflammation. The most common reason I find my clients wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. is because they have a gut infection. It’s impossible to heal the gut and for beneficial bacteria to thrive if you don’t address the infection.

The last common but little-known cause of insomnia is your liver. When your liver is backed up and can’t process all the toxins in your body, those toxins continue circulating, causing lots of inflammation. According to the Chinese meridian clock, between 1 and 3 a.m. is when the liver is most active. If you have a parasite, it’s releasing many toxins at this time. So not only is the parasite causing inflammation, it’s also releasing more toxins than your body can handle, which wakes you up.

These are just some of the reasons why you may not be sleeping well, and many of my clients have more than one of these. Functional lab testing will tell us what’s going on in your body that’s causing your insomnia so that we can correct it and improve your sleep and your health.

As always, wishing you a good night’s sleep.

Martha Lewis is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® practitioner and owner of the Complete Sleep Solution. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @completesleepsolution.

https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/opinion/columnists/health_rotating/cant-sleep-the-reason-could-be-physical/article_273f0a86-49c1-50d1-9f95-f2b624fa0ba2.html

Insomniacs' Brains Might Be Wired Differently

From discovermagazine.com

Insomnia seems to be reaching historic highs a year into the pandemic. Science suggests that some people may be more susceptible than others

Anxiety and loss of routine are two of the biggest drivers behind insomnia. So, it stands to reason that the pandemic has sparked a seemingly historic increase in restless nights worldwide.

At this point, you may be tossing and turning after dark with concerns about getting sick, paying bills, finding childcare or grieving the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19 — perhaps all of the above. Meanwhile, working from home, home schooling or generally hanging out in your pyjamas all day means that your routine is more flexible. This all disrupts our circadian rhythms, making it difficult to fall asleep at night.

Dubbed “COVID-somnia,” research around the world paints a picture of populations struggling to sleep under the weight of this global event. One study published in the journal Sleep Medicine documented a 37 percent increase in insomnia in China. Others have shown similar results in Italy and Greece. Although it hasn’t been as well documented in the U.S., according to experts, chronic insomnia is becoming epidemic. If left untreated, its impact could be long-term, especially considering that insomnia is about more than just lack of sleep. It may stem from deep-seated neurological distinctions. Research has shown that the brains of those with insomnia are in fact different from the brains of heavy sleepers.

Insomnia Triggers

Specifically, the brains of insomniacs show increases in “cortical excitability” compared to sleepers, according to Rachel Salas, a specialist in sleep disorders and professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University.

“In insomniacs the neurotransmitters responsible for helping the body wind down at night remain excited,” Salas says. When it’s time for sleep, the outer layer of the cerebrum is still actively responding to stimuli. Basically, she says, “There’s still too much processing going on in the brain.”

(Credit: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock)

Another small study found that those with restless leg syndrome — a condition that causes an urge to move the legs often at night and can also cause insomnia — also experienced an increase in cortical excitability. With restless leg syndrome, the “hyperarousal” occurred in the motor cortex, a part of the brain charged with regulating leg movements.

In chronic insomniacs, it’s not clear whether the brain was already changing and the pandemic served to kickstart the inevitable, or whether those with certain brain characteristics were predestined to have trouble sleeping. 

“A life event, like losing one’s job or losing a loved one, can act as a trigger to ignite insomnia,” says Salas. And those who experience sleep loss are more likely to develop chronic insomnia, characterized by difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep three nights weekly for at least three months straight. 

Ties to Personality Traits?

In addition to having slightly different brains than heavy sleepers, insomniacs have also been shown to have different personalities.

Research published in Health Psychology followed 22,000 people between the ages of 30 and 107 in both the U.S. and Japan. Participants filled out personality questionnaires that assessed their openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. The study found that those who were considered extroverts were, naturally, more social, plus they experienced more positive emotions and were less likely to have trouble sleeping. Those who were considered more neurotic (typically defined as feeling distress and experiencing negative emotions like loneliness, anxiety, fear and depression) tended to have more trouble sleeping.

The study also showed that those who are more conscientious, dependable, goal-driven and motivated were more likely to be better sleepers. This may be because they’re prone to have a healthier lifestyle, including things like exercise, a good diet and less substance abuse.

Reversing Insomnia

Our ability to unwind at night seems to have a lot to do with our brains. But we can change the way we think to make our minds more amenable to high-quality sleep. Even chronic insomnia is treatable, especially if you seek the right help, according to Shelby Harris, a sleep behavioural psychologist and author of The Women's Guide to Overcoming Insomnia. She says that certain conditioned behaviours can cause insomnia. Retraining the brain to avoid these behaviours reverses the condition.

“We do activities to conserve our batteries once insomnia sets in and they may actually make the problem worse,” she says. For example, skipping exercise, sleeping in, taking sleep aids and going to bed before we’re tired in an effort to hoard energy. Once the problem gets worse, we may take sleep aids, drink alcohol at night or spend time throughout the day worrying about getting to sleep at night. The preventative measures we take can often maintain it, she says.

Using cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia targets the behaviours that are keeping us up at night. For example, going to bed earlier may seem like a good idea. But if you get in bed before you’re tired, you’re more likely to spend time worrying in bed because you’re not sufficiently sleepy. If you don’t feel sleepy, get back out of bed and do a relaxing activity that doesn’t involve a screen, such as reading a book, meditating or journaling. Then get back in bed once drowsiness sets in.

Additionally, many parents are stretched for time due to a lack of childcare, so we may spend too much time running around trying to get things done right before bed in an effort to make the next day less stressful. But this is another behaviour that keeps the brain from winding down at night.

In the end, it’s not the stressors we face that are the problem. It’s our reaction to them. COVID-19 isn’t going to change in the near future, but we can make changes to our behaviours. Unlike the lamp on our bedside table, says Harris, “we don’t have an on-off switch.” We need to wind down like a dimmer so that our light gently fades until we fall asleep.

https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/insomniacs-brains-might-be-wired-differently

How what you are eating is affecting how you sleep

From irishtimes.com

Diet and sleep are entwined. Improving one can help you improve the other

This has not been a very good year for sleep.

With the coronavirus pandemic, and school and work disruptions, contributing to countless sleepless nights, sleep experts have encouraged people to adopt a variety of measures to overcome their stress-related insomnia. Among their recommendations – engage in regular exercise, establish a nightly bedtime routine and cut back on screen-time and social media.

But many people may be overlooking another important factor in poor sleep – diet. A growing body of research suggests that the foods you eat can affect how well you sleep, and your sleep patterns can affect your dietary choices.

Researchers have found that eating a diet that is high in sugar, saturated fat and processed carbohydrates can disrupt your sleep, while eating more plants, fibre and foods rich in unsaturated fat – such as nuts, olive oil, fish and avocados – seems to have the opposite effect, helping to promote sound sleep.

One study found that people assigned to eat two kiwis an hour before their bedtime every night for four weeks had improvements in their sleep. Photograph: iStock

Much of what we know about sleep and diet comes from large epidemiological studies that, over the years, have found that people who suffer from consistently bad sleep tend to have poorer quality diets, with less protein, fewer fruits and vegetables, and a higher intake of added sugar from foods like sugary beverages, desserts and ultra-processed foods. But by their nature, epidemiological studies can show only correlations, not cause and effect. They cannot explain, for example, whether poor diet precedes and leads to poor sleep, or the reverse.

To get a better understanding of the relationship between diet and sleep, some researchers have turned to randomised controlled trials in which they tell participants what to eat and then look for sleep changes. A number of studies have looked at the impact of individual foods, from warm milk to fruit juice. But those studies often have been small and not very rigorous.

Trials

Some of these trials have also been funded by the food industry, which can bias results. One study, funded by Zespri International, the world’s largest marketer of kiwi fruit, for example, found that people assigned to eat two kiwis an hour before their bedtime every night for four weeks had improvements in their sleep onset, duration and efficiency. The authors of the study attributed their findings in part to an “abundance” of antioxidants in kiwis. But importantly, the study lacked a control group, so it is possible that any benefits could have resulted from the placebo effect.

Other studies, funded by the cherry industry, have found that drinking tart cherry juice can modestly improve sleep in people with insomnia, supposedly by promoting tryptophan, one of the building blocks of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin.

Tryptophan is an amino acid found in many foods, including dairy and turkey, which is one of the reasons commonly given for why so many of us feel so sleepy after our Thanksgiving feasts. But tryptophan has to cross the blood-brain barrier to have any soporific effects, and in the presence of other amino acids found in food it ends up competing, largely unsuccessfully, for absorption. Studies show that eating protein-rich foods such as milk and turkey on their own actually decreases the ability of tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier.

One way to enhance tryptophan’s uptake is to pair foods that contain it with carbohydrates. That combination stimulates the release of insulin, which causes competing amino acids to be absorbed by muscles, in turn making it easier for tryptophan to cross into the brain, said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, an associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Centre and the director of the Sleep Centre of Excellence at Columbia.

St-Onge has spent years studying the relationship between diet and sleep. Her work suggests that rather than emphasising one or two specific foods with supposedly sleep-inducing properties, it is better to focus on the overall quality of your diet. In one randomised clinical trial, she and her colleagues recruited 26 healthy adults and controlled what they ate for four days, providing them regular meals prepared by nutritionists while also monitoring how they slept at night. On the fifth day, the subjects were allowed to eat whatever they wanted.

The researchers discovered that eating more saturated fat and less fibre from foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains led to reductions in slow-wave sleep, which is the deep, restorative kind. In general, clinical trials have also found that carbohydrates have a significant impact on sleep: People tend to fall asleep much faster at night when they consume a high-carbohydrate diet compared to when they consume a high-fat or high-protein diet. That may have something to do with carbs helping tryptophan cross into the brain more easily.

But the quality of carbs matters. In fact, they can be a double-edged sword when it comes to slumber. St-Onge has found in her research that when people eat more sugar and simple carbs – such as white bread, bagels, pastries and pasta – they wake up more frequently throughout the night. In other words, eating carbs may help you fall asleep faster, but it is best to consume “complex” carbs that contain fibre, which may help you obtain more deep, restorative sleep.

“Complex carbohydrates provide a more stable blood sugar level,” she said. “So if blood sugar levels are more stable at night, that could be the reason complex carbohydrates are associated with better sleep.”

Dietary pattern

One example of a dietary pattern that may be optimal for better sleep is the Mediterranean diet, which emphasises such foods as vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, seafood, poultry, yogurt, herbs and spices and olive oil. Large observational studies have found that people who follow this type of dietary pattern are less likely to suffer from insomnia and short sleep, though more research is needed to confirm the correlation.

But the relationship between poor diet and bad sleep is a two-way street: Scientists have found that as people lose sleep, they experience physiological changes that can nudge them to seek out junk food. In clinical trials, healthy adults who are allowed to sleep only four or five hours a night end up consuming more calories and snacking more frequently throughout the day. They experience more hunger and their preference for sweet foods increases.

In men, sleep deprivation stimulates increased levels of ghrelin, the so-called hunger hormone, while in women, restricting sleep leads to lower levels of GLP-1, a hormone that signals satiety. “So in men, short sleep promotes greater appetite and desire to eat, and in women there is less of a signal that makes you stop eating,” St-Onge said.

Changes also occur in the brain. St-Onge found that when men and women were restricted to four hours of nightly sleep for five nights in a row, they had greater activation in reward centres of the brain in response to pepperoni pizza, doughnuts and candy compared to healthy foods such as carrots, yogurt, oatmeal and fruit. After five nights of normal sleep, however, this pattern disappeared.

Another study, led by researchers at King’s College London, also demonstrated how proper sleep can increase your willpower to avoid unhealthy foods. It found that habitually short sleepers who went through a program to help them sleep longer had improvements in their diet. The most striking change was that they cut about 10 grams of added sugar from their diets each day, about 2½ teaspoons.

The takeaway is that diet and sleep are entwined. Improving one can help you improve the other and vice versa, creating a positive cycle where they perpetuate one another, said Dr Susan Redline, a senior physician at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School who studies diet and sleep disorders. “The best way to approach health is to emphasise a healthy diet and healthy sleep,” she added. “These are two very important health behaviours that can reinforce each other.” – New York Times

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/how-what-you-are-eating-is-affecting-how-you-sleep-1.4438311

How to reclaim a good night's sleep

From texarkanagazette.com

Insomnia, the inability to fall or remain asleep for a full night's restorative sleep, is on the increase as the economic, social, emotional and physical stresses of the pandemic make it hard to shut off worries

Insomnia, the inability to fall or remain asleep for a full night's restorative sleep, is on the increase as the economic, social, emotional and physical stresses of the pandemic make it hard to shut off worries. That means folks who never had sleep woes before are finding that they, too, are contending with its complications, such as reduced performance at school or work, slower reaction times (driving is riskier), increased drinking, depression and anxiety, and an ever-increasing risk of high blood pressure, cancer, dementia and heart disease. It's estimated that previously around 10% of adults had chronic insomnia, while around 30% had symptoms, usually temporary. These days, experts estimate that 25% to 74% of adults experience ongoing insomnia.

If you are having trouble sleeping, you want to nip it in the bud before it becomes chronic. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that 61% of those with chronic insomnia syndrome still battled it three years later. And in a new study in JAMA Open Network, researchers looked at more than 3,000 adults over five years. Around 37% of participants who had chronic insomnia (daily sleep troubles for a month or longer or three times per week for at least three months) at the beginning of the study still had it five years later, and any remission was often temporary. Among participants who were experiencing insomnia for the first time, fully 47% reported symptoms a year later.

You want to take steps to break the pattern and restore a healthy sleep pattern as quickly as possible. Not only will you restore your energy and a rosier outlook, you will be taking important steps to control your sleep-affected blood pressure and heart health. One study found that folks who sleep less than six hours a night raise their risk of heart attack 20%, and another found that people who report sleep disturbances almost nightly are at a 40% to 50% increased risk of heart attack.

You have the tools and the ability to overcome this troubling side effect of everything that you've been dealing with this year. So get started. Then when the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, you won't have to deal with persistent insomnia or its complications.

Establish a routine and stick to it, just like you did last year and the year before. The pandemic "has caused a lot of upheaval to our daily routines," explains Cleveland Clinic sleep psychologist Michelle Drerup.

If homeschooling, working from home, loss of employment or lockdowns have thrown your schedule out the window, chances are your sleep is off schedule too. So write out a schedule for getting out of bed, having breakfast, exercising, working/homeschooling, getting into bed, etc. and post it so you — and your household — can see and follow it.

Institute stimulus control: The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says to go to bed only when sleepy, leave the bed when you're unable to sleep, avoid naps and use the bed only for sleep and sex. Keep digital devices and screens out of the bedroom.

Identify the sleep disrupters in your life: habits (drinking or eating before bedtime, smoking, taking recreational drugs), medications and health problems such as sleep apnea, diabetes or chronic pain that can contribute to disturbed sleep. Asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, overactive thyroid, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease are often sleep robbers, too. Talk with your doctor about how to resolve those issues.

Adopt the intermittent fasting schedule in Dr. Mike's book "What to Eat When." Good eating patterns and optimal nutrition promote good sleep.

Make sure to get in 10,000 steps or the equivalent daily — even indoors. Physical activity is essential for good quality sleep.

Try online cognitive behavioural therapy to help you manage worries, change behaviours and re-establish a schedule.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer Emeritus at Cleveland Clinic

https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/features/story/2020/dec/26/how-reclaim-good-nights-sleep/854050/

5 Simple Yet Effective Ways To Curb Your Insomnia Based On Research

From ph.asiatatler.com

Photo: Unsplash 

If you feel like you've tried everything to beat — or at least manage — your insomnia lately, then maybe it's time to look into other scientific research. It's always better to understand how or why you're having trouble falling or staying asleep at the right time. Apparently, the things we do or encounter within the day can affect our sleep. Insomnia occurs more than you think, and it is experienced by a lot of people. While insomnia can occur with other medical or psychiatric conditions, there are still simple ways to manage it.

Read on to know how to manage insomnia in a few simple ways:

1/5 Stop Browsing And Put Your Phone Down

Photo: Unsplash

Your phone's screen emits a bright light and it's tricking your mind to stay awake as it affects your biological clock. As the light shines over your eyes, it signals the group of neurons (the master clock) in our brains that it's still daytime. So, it doesn't really matter if you're already on the bed and the lights are off — as long as your phone is on and your fingers won't stop scrolling, you won't be falling asleep anytime soon. 

2/5 Stay Out Of Bed During The Day

We've all been glued to our beds for a while now. But according to studies, this actually affects your insomnia. Avoid doing activities on the bed during your waking hours. Only lie down when you feel sleepy, otherwise, you'll get used to it. If you get through the day without reading, watching, or working on the bed, you'll have better chances of finding the mattress extra cosy that night and falling asleep. You should also refrain from taking naps within the day as it causes fragmented sleep. Lastly, keep a sleep schedule and try to wake up consistently at the same time in the mornings for seven days to develop a habit. And don't forget to get out of bed not longer than 10 to 15 minutes after waking up!

3/5 Relax And Meditate

Practising meditation or relaxation techniques before you fall asleep also helps when you randomly wake up in the middle of the night. Ideally, relaxation techniques that can help are breathing exercises. These exercises will help you loosen a bit; reducing muscle tensions and clearing your mind from disruptive thoughts. Keep yourself awake as well, until you feel calm and sleepy — ready to catch some z's once again.

4/5 Do Not Exercise Even If You Feel Like It

Just because you have enough energy to do everything but rest, doesn't mean that you should perform vigorous exercises. It's only going to keep you awake as physical exercises can make your heart race. So if you're planning to jump rope, swim, run laps, or bike around town, best if you move it the next day.

5/5 Watch What You Eat Or Consume

Lay off the caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and spicy food a couple of hours before bedtime. Consuming any of these will surely give you a hard time falling asleep. Although alcohol helps some people fall asleep, they can still wake up in the middle of the night and have a harder time returning to bed. Apart from this, alcohol can actually worsen your sleep apnea. Coffee, unfortunately, has stimulants that should only be taken in the morning. And if you don't want to experience having heartburn, avoid eating spicy dishes a few hours before bed.

https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/how-to-effectively-manage-insomnia-based-on-research

Do I Have a Sleep Disorder? A comprehensive guide

From goodmenproject.com

Many people just want to sleep. However, a good night’s sleep is hard to come by for many people. It should be a simple process; you just close your eyes and open them eight hours later. However, your body tends to have other plans.

Everyone has a few bad nights of sleep every now and then. However, if you are someone is having trouble getting those 7-8 hours of sleep a night, you may have a sleep disorder. Let’s look at some sleep disorders.

Insomnia

This is the most common sleep disorder. You close your eyes, and it takes a long time for you to go to the land of dreams. This is known as sleep-onset insomnia.

There’s also sleep maintenance insomnia. This is when you wake up in the middle of the night, or earlier than usual, and can’t fall back asleep. Some people experience both.

Most people experience this on occasion. Maybe you have to get up early for a flight, or you’re worried about seeing a doctor tomorrow. However, if you are experiencing it at least three times every week for a 3-month period, it is chronic and you should seek help.

Some medications can treat insomnia, but often, changing your sleep habits can help with it as well. For example, avoid anything too stimulating an hour before bed. Keep your room cool and comfortable. Also, don’t struggle to fall asleep. If you can’t, get out of bed and do something relaxing.

Sleep Apnea

This is when your upper airway is blocked. People who have this tend to wake up feeling like they’ve been choked. They may also wake up while gasping. Some people just snore excessively. It can lead to several side effects, such as lowered cognition.

There are two main types of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is when there’s an upper airway blockage. It can be caused by several factors, including obesity. Then, there’s central sleep apnea. This causes your brain to stop signalling your breathing muscles.

Sleep apnea can be dangerous, but it is treatable. Talk to your doctor about it.

Narcolepsy

Have you slept well, but you still feel tired? Even to the point of falling asleep. It may be narcolepsy. This is a sleep disorder that can lead to sleep maintenance issues.

Worst of all, the exact cause is unknown, though genetics may play a part. It is treatable through medication, so talk to a doctor if you suspect you have it.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

When you try to fall asleep, do your legs itch, throb, hurt, or you feel like you have to move them?

It may be RLS. This hits hard if you are in bed, making it difficult to sleep. Like narcolepsy, it is not curable, but it is treatable through medication and several lifestyle changes.

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS)

EDS is similar to narcolepsy, where you feel groggy all day even if you slept well. However, this disorder has a clearer cause.

Certain conditions can cause EDS. Diabetes, depression, and anxiety are a few examples. This is another sleep disorder where talking to your doctor and finding the culprit is important.

Shift Work Disorder

Do you work third shift? While some people thrive at night, others may find it difficult to keep up. Even if you sleep during the day, you may feel excessively tired, especially in winter.

This is because you are going against the light and darkness cycles most bodies like. Light treatments can help, especially if you have no choice but to be a third shift worker. You may want to talk to your doctor about it if you work third shift.

Non 24-Hour Sleep Wake Disorder

When you are a child, your body works a little differently than an adult's. For an adult, their circadian rhythms reset every day, or 24-hours. However, some people have a disorder where they do nor reset their rhythms, making it hard to fall asleep.

This sleep disorder is primary found in those who have dementia or blindness, but it is possible for others to experience.

Diagnosis is a Way to the Cure

Sleep is important. While all our sleep needs vary, everyone can agree that getting a proper night’s sleep can keep your mind and body alert.

Sometimes, lifestyle changes can help. From exercising, eating right, to avoiding your phone too close to bed, this can help you sleep better. However, if you still have a sleep disorder, then it’s important you seek help.

Mind Diagnostics is a website that can allow you to get a diagnosis. There, you can figure out how you can seek treatment. Usually, a combination of therapy, lifestyle changes, and medication may be able to help you get a better night’s sleep.

About BetterHelp

BetterHelp is the world’s largest e-counselling platform. The American Psychological Association, ABC, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic have recognized BetterHelp for excellence in the field. Their unrelenting goal is to make counselling accessible, affordable, and convenient. Life is full of unexpected challenges, and the counsellors at BetterHelp are fully aware of this. That’s why they want to provide the best support and guidance they can to their clients. They are passionate about their roles and demonstrate this in the unconditional support they have for their clients. The remarkably skilled therapists and counsellors at BetterHelp have completed an astounding 27,559,459 sessions, helping clients with a variety of mental health issues ranging from depression to Borderline Personality Disorder. These dedicated mental health professionals want to provide excellent therapeutic care to anyone who is searching for it. They believe that anyone can get help, anytime, anywhere.

Official Website

https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/do-i-have-sleep-disorder-bh/

Benefits and risks of using lavender oil for insomnia, stress, headaches, and more

From news.yahoo.com

The scent of lavender is well-known for its ability to help people relax.

When lavender flowers are distilled and concentrated into an essential oil, the vaporized chemicals may be used to treat a variety of health issues.

You can get relief by breathing lavender oil in through a cotton ball or a diffuser, or by applying it to your skin.

As early as the first century AD, Greek botanist and physician Pedanius Dioscorides wrote about lavender's medicinal uses for indigestion and headache in his volumes on medicinal plants: De Materia Medica.

Today, many people enjoy the light floral scent of this flowering plant in soaps, lotions, and perfumes. Lavender is also a popular ingredient in food and drinks, including honey, tea, and cocktails. This article discusses the many benefits of lavender oil.

Here are the three recommended ways to use lavender oil:

1. Breathe in the scent of lavender essential oil. "Put one or two drops of essential oil on a cotton ball and inhale," says Lynn Gershan, MD, a paediatrician and assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School who is certified in medical herbalism. One small 2020 study showed that inhaling lavender essential oil on a cotton ball helped decrease anxiety.

2. Use an aromatherapy diffuser. An essential oil diffuser is a device combining water with a few drops of essential oil to create a fine vapour. A small 2017 study showed that lavender diffused twice a day decreased agitation in elderly dementia patients.

3. Apply it to the skin. "Another way to get these effects from lavender is by applying it to the skin diluted in a carrier oil," says Gershan. A safe dilution preparation for those two years of age and older, according to Gershan, is 2% essential lavender oil diluted in a carrier oil, which is a plant-based oil with little or no scent. Unscented coconut oil, olive oil, or jojoba oil, which closely mimics the skin's sebum, may be used. 

Benefits of lavender oil

From the treatment of physical ailments to mental health benefits, herbalists use lavender oil for many reasons that are positively linked to chemical reactions in the brain. It can be used with or without dilution and may help relieve various health issues. As the case of herbs and essential oils, what works for one person may not work for someone else.

Here are common conditions that lavender may help, according to Gershan:

• Insomnia. Several studies confirm lavender's relaxation benefits, including a small 2019 study showing that lavender aromatherapy favoured increased melatonin levels, possibly helping participants sleep. 

• Anxiety/Stress. A 2017 review of studies found that lavender, whether it's breathed in through a cotton ball, inhaled by using a diffuser, or rubbed into the skin, may help to reduce anxiety and stress. For example, a 2017 study showed that lavender inhalation reduced preoperative anxiety in surgery patients. When used twice a day, lavender also may decrease agitation in dementia patients. 

• Wounds. Essential oils, such as peppermint and lavender, can be used as holistic treatments for pain associated with burns and wounds. A 2012 study on 120 postpartum women researched the use of lavender oil application after episiotomy, a surgical incision of the perineum.  While there were no significant differences in pain levels or complications between the two groups, researchers found significantly less redness in the lavender group versus the control group who were treated with the antiseptic povidone-iodine.

• Headaches. A small 2012 study showed that inhaling lavender may be an effective treatment for migraine headaches.

• Menstrual cramps. A 2016 study found that inhaling three drops of lavender oil on a piece of cotton reduced menstrual cramps. 

While lavender essential oil is readily available in stores and online, quality varies. When purchasing, choose bottles that contain 100% pure lavender essential oil, with no fillers or chemicals.

Risks and side effects of using lavender oil

"Lavender oil is generally very safe to use," says Gershan. However, she does caution against the following:

• Use discretion if you're pregnant. Lavender is generally not recommended in the first trimester. Gershan suggests discussing any use of essential oils while pregnant with your doctor.

• Pay attention to allergic reactions. While rare, lavender oil can cause sensitivity. If you get a rash, hives, or your skin itches, apply a carrier oil to help remove the lavender, then wash with soap and water and discontinue use.

• Take immediate action if you get lavender oil in your eye. This can cause burning and irritation, says Gershan. Flush with clean, warm water or use cold full-fat milk. Call your doctor if necessary.

Gershan notes that some people don't like the smell of lavender. If that's how you feel, don't use it. The negative association with its smell may block its positive effects.  

Insider's takeaway

Lavender isn't just a nice-smelling plant, it also has several useful health benefits, including alleviating insomnia and reducing stress and anxiety.

You can get relief by breathing lavender oil in through a cotton ball or a diffuser, or by applying it to your skin.  

"Lavender oil is one of five essential oils - along with peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, and tea tree -  that I believe every household should have," says Gershan. "It has so many uses, and so few potential side effects."

https://news.yahoo.com/benefits-risks-using-lavender-oil-014129607.html

Pandemic insomnia is soaring: 5 tips on how to cope

From abcnews.go.com

Difficulty sleeping is the most common mental health effect people report

Many people's mental health has been hit hard by COVID-19, with rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the rise. Now, researchers from the University of Ottawa in Canada have found that for many, the pandemic is also taking a toll on a good night's sleep.

An analysis of nearly 190,000 participants looked at the mental health of those affected by COVID-19 -- survivors, family members and health care workers -- and compared it against the general population under normal circumstances. What researchers found was disheartening. Depression, anxiety and PTSD rates are significantly worse than before the pandemic. But, worst of all is the climbing rate of insomnia.

Almost a quarter (23.87%) of those affected by COVID-19 have insomnia. Among all those affected by COVID-19, health care workers have the highest rate of insomnia, with more than one in three (36.53%) reporting difficulty sleeping.

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder, and millions of Americans seek medical advice every year for their difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up at the right time.

Sleeping difficulties can have an enormous impact on our quality of life, but experts say there are concrete steps you can take to try to improve sleep quality.

If you are suffering from insomnia, you are not alone. Here are five tips to sleep better, rest better and feel better.

See your doctor

Sleep problems have many different causes, and you’ll need a knowledgeable professional to help assess and diagnose your specific sleep problem. Some people may have difficulty falling asleep (which could have psychological or behavioral causes) while others may have difficulty staying asleep (which could be from a sleep environment with too many interruptions). Medical problems like sleep apnea or the medications you take might be contributing as well. For this reason, only an experienced professional can help you get to the root of the problem.

Start the day off right

The quality of our day determines the quality of our night. Waking up at the same time every day is an important way to help our body create a reliable rhythm. Like plants and animals, our bodies rise and rest according to a rhythmic day-night cycle. Waking up early on weekdays and sleeping in on the weekends throws off this rhythm, putting ourselves in a state of perpetual jet lag. Choose a consistent time to wake up that works for every day of the week, and avoid naps if you have nighttime sleep issues.

Energize early, not late

Try to get 30 to 40 minutes of bright light exposure first thing in the morning to show your body’s internal clock that the day has begun. If you enjoy caffeine, have it in the morning, not the afternoon; about 50% of the caffeine from a dinnertime coffee will be in your bloodstream when you go to bed, and it will directly inhibit one of your body’s sleep compounds, called adenosine. Finally, daily exercise is a great way to ensure we feel sleepy at bedtime, but it can be counterproductive if done too late. Avoid exercising within a few hours before lights out.

Prepare for bed

We’re not talking about pyjamas and brushing teeth; we’re talking about winding down as soon as the sun starts to set. Bright lights signal “daytime” to our brains, and in our modern age, looking into bright screens until we shut our eyes leaves our bodies confused. Try to limit screen time within an hour of bedtime, wear blue-light-blocking glasses and consider adding an app like F.lux, which filters out the bright blue light that gets in the way of our sleep, to your devices. Turn down the lights with sunset, and use candles or dim lamps. Limit alcohol and avoid eating within three hours of going to sleep. Finally, use your last hour to meditate, pray or read books.

Create a sleep sanctuary

For best sleep, the bedroom is for two things only: sleep and intimacy. Remove TVs and computers, and avoid working in bed. Create a cool, pitch-black environment, and create an atmosphere that is free from interruptions. This means silencing your phone (or keeping it out of the bedroom altogether), trying to coordinate sleep schedules with your sleep partner and making sure the environment is as soundproofed as possible.

Nicholas Nissen, M.D., is a clinical fellow and resident physician at Harvard Medical School and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/pandemic-insomnia-soaring-tips-cope/story?id=74717704

Don't let COVID-19 steal your sleep

From startribune.com

Sleep problems have become common during the pandemic

It's 3 a.m., and you've been struggling for hours to fall asleep. As morning draws nearer, your anxiety about being exhausted the next day intensifies — yet again.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Among the many disruptions of 2020, insomnia ranks high on the list. Exact data on how the pandemic has affected sleep are limited because biomedical research can take years to shake out, but evidence suggests that prolonged confinement is altering sleep in adults as well as children.

If it's happening to you, here are some steps to consider:

Don't be afraid to get help. Stressful and upsetting experiences like the death of a loved one or the loss of a job — two widespread realities of COVID-19 — are known psychological triggers for insomnia. If your insomnia is tied to such an event, the quickest way to get help is to call your doctor.

Nadia Hafid • New York Times

Among the many disruptions of 2020, insomnia may rank high on the list

One thing many doctors suggest is cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, sometimes referred to as CBT-I for insomnia. It includes a variety of techniques, among them meditation, mindfulness and muscle relaxation. Jennifer Martin, a psychologist and professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, also recommends an app called Insomnia Coach, which is free and offers evidence-based, self-guided help through tools like a sleep diary and trackers for sleep habits and hygiene.

Get out of bed. The goal here is to separate your sleep space and habits as much as possible from your waking space and habits. It may be comfortable and cosy to stay in your pyjamas while working or attending school remotely, but CBT experts advise getting dressed every morning. And don't stay in your bed all day.

Reset bedtime. Parents of young children might notice a "forbidden zone" phenomenon when it comes to bedtime, said Dr. Craig Canapari, a paediatric sleep physician and director of the Yale Paediatric Sleep Centre. The trigger here may be a later bedtime for your children that's crept in this year. If this sounds familiar, try reverting back to their — and your — pre-pandemic schedule.

But a bedtime that's not late enough also can cause insomnia. It might seem counterintuitive, especially if you didn't sleep well the night before, but getting in bed before you're ready to fall asleep can set off the vicious cycle of wanting to fall asleep and then worrying that you're not falling asleep. So instead of rushing under the covers, try taking a warm shower, listening to music for a while or stretching your neck and shoulders.

Kill the screens. Screens — including the television — are bad for sleep because they emit blue light, which can suppress the body's natural secretion of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Canapari stresses putting away all screens in the evening: "I really cannot emphasize enough how important it is that children do not have access to devices in their room."

Screens usually come hand-in-hand with being sedentary, Canapari said, and exercise promotes healthy sleep. He suggests parents help their children get at least 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity every day, though not right before bedtime.

Lay off the booze. Alcohol suppresses the central nervous system. It causes brain activity to slow down and produces a sleepy, sedative feeling. This can seem very relaxing for someone struggling with sleep, but as alcohol is metabolized through the night, it robs the body of crucial REM sleep and can trigger a "rebound effect," waking you up in the wee hours after its sedative effects have worn off.

If alcohol is affecting your sleep, it might be causing you to consume another insomnia culprit the next day, like caffeine. Martin suggested avoiding caffeine for five hours before bedtime.

In some insomnia cases, prescription drugs and supplements — particularly melatonin for children — may be helpful. But the ultimate goal, Canapari said, "is to address the issue so you don't need to use the medication long term."

https://www.startribune.com/don-t-let-covid-19-steal-your-sleep/573367831/

Mental Health During the Holidays

From yourhub.denverpost.com

With the pandemic forcing everyone inside even more than usual and financial worries weighing on minds everywhere, this holiday season may be a time of high stress for many. Studies have shown that 60%-88% of people feel stressed during the holidays; and that’s without all the uncertainty of our current state.

Stress has many affects on us including low energy, insomnia, headaches and chest pains. Stress has also been known to increase individuals’ risk of anxiety, depression, obesity and heart disease. Women often take the brunt of holiday stress between work, home and community commitments.

“Mental health is at the base of our physical health,” said Terry Dunn, M.D., FACOG, FPMRS, owner of Foothills Urogynecology. “We must take the time to evaluate our mental state and take steps to improve it in order to help control our general health.”

There are several things that individuals can do to improve their mental state.

• Healthy eating habits
• Take a breather
• Meditate
• Gratitude journal
• Laugh/smile

Eating healthy has been shown to improve brain function and energy levels along with self-esteem and mood. When individuals eat healthier, they tend to feel better about themselves and their outlook on life changes accordingly.

Even when, and sometimes especially when, we are surrounded by those we love, it is beneficial to take a breather. Taking a mental and physical break from our worries and situations gives our bodies and minds time to recover and regroup to come back stronger than before.

“We need to separate ourselves from others and take some time for ourselves. It does not have to be long; 20 minutes is just fine for many,” said Dr. Dunn. “Often we just need to know it is okay to give ourselves the permission to take that time without any guilt or added stress.”

Meditation is used by millions of people throughout the world to gain clarity and invigorate their minds. Meditation helps individuals gain new perspectives on stressful situations, minimizes negative emotions, helps build stress management skills and increases self-awareness and patience.

Gratitude has been linked to better sleep, lower stress levels and improved health. Gratitude journals are one way to help individuals focus on what they are grateful for and bring focus to the positive side of life. By doing so, these individuals generally feel happier and have a more positive outlook on their life.

When you laugh and smile it releases chemicals in your brain that act as mild pain relievers and antidepressants that can help improve your mood and make you feel better. Another way to think about it is that laughter is a natural mood enhancer. If you are feeling stressed or depressed, watching a comedy or simply smiling for the sake of it can be a good step to feeling better.

https://yourhub.denverpost.com/blog/2020/12/mental-health-during-the-holidays/271946/

Sleep well to regulate your mood and ward off anxiety

From thehealthsite.com

Sleep deprivation can affect your mood and lead to anxiety. Here’s how you can fix it and sleep soundly.

It goes without saying that sleeping well is equally as important as eating healthy and exercising. But people tend to ignore it anyway and do not get enough sleep, which takes a toll on their health. When your body and mind don’t get enough rest, it drains your mental abilities and puts your physical health at risk.

How Sleeplessness Affects Your Mood

While you sleep, your body repairs the intricacies of your system, which helps you maintain overall health. Lack of sleep can impair the proper functioning of your body and make you feel cranky and irritable. You might not be able to concentrate and may even feel less energetic.

A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychiatry Reports found that night-time sleep affects your mood, emotional reactivity and your capacity to control positive and negative thoughts. In other words, it can simply wreak havoc on your mental health.

The connection between anxiety and sleeplessness is a bit more complicated. Studies suggest that anxiety causes sleep problems, whereas other studies have shown that sleeplessness leads to an anxiety disorder. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, chronic insomnia puts you at a high risk of developing an anxiety disorder.

In addition to these problems, chronic insomnia can elevate your risk of developing chronic diseases, including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and obesity. Hence, it is vital to regulate your mood and sleep soundly.

How To Reduce Anxiety And Sleep Soundly?

If you have sleep problems and feel depressed, anxious or less emotionally responsive, there are many ways that can help you get better.

One of the most effective ways to improve sleep patterns is getting enough sleep. It can lower anxiety and improve sleep. Plus, studies have found that exercise can help lower anxiety and improve overall health.

Dim the lights to let melatonin (sleep hormone) to work properly and induce sleep.

Set a routine and stick to it. Hit the sack around the same time every day and wake up at the same time to let your body align with your internal clock

Avoid consuming too much caffeine as it can lead to anxiety and inhibit sleep

Consuming too much alcohol can also keep you up by increasing your heart rate and making you anxious

Try meditation, yoga or breathing exercises to calm your mind and fight insomnia

Keep your gadgets away at least half an hour before bedtime. Your phone, laptop and TV emit light that keeps your brain awake

Don’t underestimate the use of excellent bedding. Make sure you select the ones that matches your needs

Take a warm and relaxing bath before going to bed

If you keep tossing and turning in bed, try reading a book before going to bed

Sometimes regulating sleep and managing anxiety is more complicated. So, make sure you consult a professional if the situation seems impossible to handle

Sleep deprivation could be an indication of an underlying disease that can lead to life-threatening consequences. Be alert and talk to your doctor in case the problem persists.

https://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/sleep-disorder/sleep-well-to-regulate-your-mood-and-ward-off-anxiety-785200/

Column: Insomnia Can Be Fatal, But Don’t Lose Sleep Over It

From thepilot.com/opinion

By Michael Smith

In 1984, a man in Venice, Italy, was dancing with his mother when he found his body overheated and drenched in sweat, ostensibly without reason. But he was terrified the reason was something he and his mother knew a lot about: a disease that had killed family members since the early 18th century.

That man is known only as Silvano, to protect family privacy. But “Fatal Familial Insomnia” (FFI), named after his family’s condition, is well-known to the medical world.

Silvano undoubtedly sweated more profusely when, looking in a mirror, he found his pupils were black pinpoints, and his stare glassy, like his deceased father’s and two siblings’. Silvano’s conditions were all symptomatic of FFI.

The onset of almost total insomnia is the scariest symptom, for death usually occurs 12-18 months later. Silvano’s sister persuaded him to divulge his condition and family secret to Dr. Pietro Cortelli of the University of Bologna.

Silvano showed Dr. Cortelli a genealogical tree identifying victims of his “family curse” for over 200 years. He offered Cortelli his own brain for scientific study following death, and said, “I’ll stop sleeping and within eight or nine months, I’ll be dead.” Sure enough, Silvano died soon after.

With Silvano’s brain, Cortelli and American colleagues found places in the thalamus which looked like a sponge full of wormholes. The damage resulted from a misshaped protein that caused a gene mutation affecting the thalamus.

FFI is an inherited neurodegenerative disease: no cure, always fatal. There is, however, now a test to tell if you’ve inherited it, assuming you’d want to know.

Silvano’s thalamus helped neuroscientists from the University of Bern identify the thalamus as the single sleep-wake controller. Previously, multiple brain areas were thought to control sleep.

Not much is known about sleep, nor is there consensus about why we sleep. It puzzled Aristotle so much that he wrote a book about it and attributed it to “vapours.” Then again, they were big on attributing vapours to a lot of things in 350 BC.

What we do know about sleep is fascinating. Before 1924, sleep was presumed a passive state. Then Hans Berger invented the electroencephalogram (EEG), which revealed electrical patterns and activity produced by the sleeping brain.

In 1953, Nathaniel Kleitman, the “father of sleep research,” used EEG to discover that rapid eye movements (REMs), a swivelling of the eyeballs, positively correlated with a sleeping person’s dreams.

Prior to REM sleep comes deep (non-REM) sleep: relaxed muscles, slow breathing and slow brain waves. Less oxygen-carrying blood is required, leaving room for slow brain waves to usher in cerebrospinal fluid to wash away toxins associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. During awake states, brains accumulate toxins, like muscles accumulate lactate.

Back to FFI. It is rare; but it begs the question of whether you can also die from normal sleep deprivation. Neuroscientists say “yes,” though they can’t explain how, not yet.

Unlike FFI, there’s no established causal links between conditions and death from sleep deprivation — except for vehicle accidents.

After 24 hours without sleep, the human brain begins to “microsleep,” literally putting itself to sleep for 10 to 20 seconds at a time. Sleep-deprived drivers may simply feel drowsy, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says drowsy driving causes 1,500 fatalities annually.

It is also known that animals entirely deprived of sleep die within weeks. Rats die within two weeks. Numerous studies show that humans 45 and older who sleep fewer than six hours per night are significantly more likely to suffer strokes and heart attacks.

Like many of our body functions, normal sleep syncs to a day-night routine — the result of millions of years of evolution. Sleep deprivation deprives the brain of opportunity to synchronize with the circadian rhythms from our planet’s rotation that are evident in almost every lifeform. Melatonin, for instance, is a hormone that promotes sleep when its production increases with darkness; it then decreases with dawn.

Night-shift work dramatically disrupts normal sleep routines. One study of over 2 million individuals found that working night shifts increased the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 41 percent. Permanent night-shift workers were 29 percent more likely to develop obesity. The risk of cancer was elevated so much that the World Health Organization classified night-shift work as a probable carcinogen.

Dr. Matthew Walker, an expert in sleep at the University of California, says that “sleep deprivation makes one more likely to die of a heart attack, get cancer, and (it) increases your risk of death, generally.”

Notwithstanding, in 2019, the National Institutes of Health reported that scientists had identified a gene that causes particular people to naturally sleep less than six and a half hours without apparent ill effects. You might have that gene. Then again, you might not.

The U.S National Sleep Foundation says the ideal length of sleep is seven to nine hours for adults. So, get your beauty-sleep.

“Alexa, play me some sleep music.”

https://www.thepilot.com/opinion/column-insomnia-can-be-fatal-but-don-t-lose-sleep-over-it/article_41f58e44-3993-11eb-9adf-3710870f4291.html

What Is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia?

From healthline.com

Do you spend endless nights staring at the ceiling in bed? Don’t worry, you’re far from alone.

About 30 percent of adults live with some type of insomnia, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). Chronic insomnia — defined as sleeplessness that occurs at least three times per week for at least 3 months — affects about 10 percent of adults.

Medication is available to treat chronic insomnia. But sleep experts say that a form of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) developed specifically to treat insomnia is both a more effective and safer option.

What is CBT-I for insomnia?

CBT is a form of talk therapy, or psychotherapy. In CBT, mental health professionals work with you to identify, address, and correct negative or inaccurate thinking and behaviours. They’ll help you come up with coping strategies so you can respond to problems more effectively.

CBT is often used to treat:

• depression
• anxiety disorders
• substance use concerns
• marital problems
• eating disorders
• severe mental illness

CBT-I is a form of CBT tailored specifically to address insomnia.

CBT-I “focuses on the negative thoughts that people have about sleep, such as not being able to sleep or not being able to function optimally the next day due to insufficient sleep,” said Dr. Brian Wind, chief clinical officer of the addiction treatment program JourneyPure. “CBT replaces these with positive thoughts.”

The cognitive part of CBT-I involves exploring and assessing your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours around sleep. You’ll learn to reframe inaccurate or unhelpful thoughts about sleep.

The behavioural part of CBT-I focuses on address problematic habits to promote better sleep. This includes developing healthy sleep habits through:

• relaxation training
• stimulus control
• sleep restriction

Cognitive behavioural therapy techniques for insomnia

CBT-I combines tried-and-true psychotherapy techniques with established science about sleep.

“What makes it different than regular CBT is that we’re working with the body and sleep drive. There’s more physiology involved,” said Annie Miller, LCSW, a sleep therapist at DC Metro Sleep and Psychotherapy in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

According to the AASM, CBT-I methods include the following:

Cognitive restructuring

One of the first things therapists do to treat chronic insomnia is try to change patients’ thinking about sleep, particularly feelings of guilt and anxiety about not sleeping.

So, your sleep therapist may ask you to keep a diary for a couple of weeks to determine how to best address your insomnia.

“People feel really upset if they’re awake. The more awake they are, the more stressed they get,” Miller said. “You have to change the way you think about sleep and sleeplessness.”

Miller noted that many people mistakenly believe that if they don’t get 8 hours of sleep per night, they’re falling short of what their body needs.

“People typically have the belief that if I don’t sleep, I will be a mess the next day or my health will suffer or my appearance will suffer,” said Miller. “That’s something we work on — what really happens if you don’t sleep. Once you accept that it’s OK if you don’t sleep, it’s very freeing.”

Stimulus control

People who experience insomnia tend to spend more time in bed being stressed about sleep, said Miller. Stimulus control works to improve sleep hygiene by limiting your time in bed.

For example, you might be told to get out of bed if you find yourself lying awake for more than 20 minutes, sometimes even less.

“If you can’t sleep, get out of bed,” Miller said. “Get up and find a quiet activity.” This might be reading a book, working on an art project, or even watching TV.

“Something you can put down when you get sleepy so you can go back to bed,” Miller said.

Sleep restriction and compression

The longer we’re awake, the more our need for sleep increases. It’s known as your “sleep drive,” said Miller.

Sleep drive can be increased by short-term restriction or compression of the amount of time you spend in bed. It’s “not sleep deprivation, but restoring the normal sleep schedule,” Miller explained.

For example, you might be directed to get up every morning at the same time and go to bed at the same time — or later — each night.

“If it’s later, that’s OK, because it ups your sleep drive and helps get your circadian sleep rhythm back,” said Miller. “The more you can accept a bad night’s sleep and know you’re building sleep drive, the easier it will be to get through it.”

How long does CBT take to work for insomnia?

CBT-I typically involves anywhere from 4 to 12 weekly 1-hour sessions with a qualified sleep therapist, according to the American College of Physicians (ACP).

“It can be conducted either one-to-one or as a group therapy, or via video or telephone consultation,” said Samantha Miller, MD, a spokesperson for Drug Helpline. “There is also evidence that web-based modules and use of self-help books may be just as effective as CBT with a qualified practitioner. It does require commitment and is usually carried out over a period of time.”

Research has shown structured CBT-I counselling can be highly effective. A 2015 study of 41 people with chronic insomnia found that 61 percent of those who were treated with CBT-I by a therapist were in clinical remission from both insomnia and depression 3 months after treatment.

The ACP’s 2016 guidelines state that CBT-I should be the main treatment for chronic insomnia. Medications should only be considered for short-term use in people with chronic insomnia when CBT-I alone isn’t working.

“Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is an effective treatment and can be initiated in a primary care setting,” said ACP President Wayne J. Riley, MD, in a statement. “Although we have insufficient evidence to directly compare CBT-I and drug treatment, CBT-I is likely to have fewer harms.”

Techniques to relax

CBT-I therapists may also recommend a variety of relaxation techniques to enhance the effectiveness of therapy.

Annie Miller advises patients to establish a wind-down period to create a buffer between busy work, family time, and bedtime. Meditation, including progressive muscle relaxation as well as biofeedback and light yoga, can be helpful.

“The use of relaxation techniques such as mindfulness and meditation can also complement CBT as part of a treatment plan. This might involve listening to music or participating in guided meditation sessions,” added Samantha Miller.

Takeaway

Chronic insomnia is a common condition that can be treated effectively with CBT.

CBT-I is a specialized version of cognitive behavioural therapy that combines psychotherapy with techniques that physically prepare your mind and body for sleep.

Therapists teach patients to overcome negative feelings about sleeplessness. They also provide strategies to improve sleep hygiene and increase sleep drive, your body’s natural desire and need for sleep.

https://www.healthline.com/health/insomnia/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-for-insomnia#takeaway

This Is What Happens to Your Body When You're Experiencing Insomnia

From uk.sports.yahoo.com

When it comes to sleep, there are two types of people: There are those who view sleep as a blissful activity, and then there are those who view sleep as a stressful task. If you fall into the second category, then it’s a possibility that you suffer from a sleep disorder like insomnia, which can make it near impossible to have a good night's rest.

The issue is that insomnia doesn’t just affect your ability to sleep—it also takes a toll on your mind and body. “The most studied consequences of sleep loss are changes in mood, cognitive complaints, and performance impairments,” sleep psychologist Sarah Silverman, Psy.D., tells HelloGiggles. “We also know that those who experience chronic sleep deprivation may have decreased immune function and a lower ability to properly regulate metabolism and blood glucose.” If you’re noticing that you’re becoming more irritable, having trouble focusing, or making mistakes at work, it could be attributed to sleep loss.

                                       Getty Images

However, not only does poor sleep make you feel lethargic and tired, but it can also play into the development of certain diseases. According to Healthline, lack of sleep can affect your blood pressure, lead to cardiovascular disease, and increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke. This happens because, over time, higher blood glucose levels (which can happen because of poor sleep) can damage your blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart. The longer this happens, the higher a person’s chances are of developing heart disease. The CDC states it clearly: Adults who sleep less than seven hours each night are more likely to experience health problems, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

But while sleep is clearly essential when it comes to maintaining your physical health, it's also closely linked to your mental health. University of Pennsylvania assistant professor Jennifer R. Goldschmied, Ph.D., calls the relationship between sleep and mental health “complicated,” because while poor sleep can trigger mood changes, sleep disorders like insomnia are also caused by certain psychiatric disorders. “We know that sleep disturbance is a symptom of most psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety, but it may also precede and predict the onset of those disorders,” Dr. Goldschmied explains. “It's important, then, to prioritize sleep, just like diet and exercise, for a healthy life. And if you do notice a significant change in your sleep that's affecting your functioning in the daytime, contact a doctor or therapist.”

But how do you know when it's time to see a doctor for your insomnia? When it goes on for weeks on end. “Chronic insomnia is defined as having difficulty sleeping three or more nights per week for three months or longer,” Dr. Silverman says. "A classic ‘vicious cycle of insomnia’ might look like having a negative thought about sleep (e.g. 'I’m never going to sleep tonight!'), which leads to a negative behaviour (e.g. lying in bed awake, tossing/turning), and, in turn, leads to negative emotions around sleep (e.g. frustration, worry).” Does this sound familiar? Most of us are probably guilty of doing this on occasion, but it can be dangerous to our bodies. “This can lead to a physiological response, such as increased heart rate, shallow breathing, or feeling on a high alert," she says.

That's why Dr. Silverman suggests learning how to change one area of your life to help alter behaviours that negatively reinforce poor sleep habits. And one of the ways you can do this is through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for insomnia. According to Dr. Silverman, this is an evidence-based, non-medication treatment shown to significantly improve sleep quality. "It’s the first-line treatment and gold standard therapy for insomnia," she says. "In a nutshell, this treatment helps you learn how to better manage your sleep with cognitive and behavioural strategies without having to resort to sleep medications or over-the-counter sleep aids. The core principle of cognitive behaviour therapy is the idea that what you think and do affects the way you feel."

However, if therapy is not an option right now, there are other simple rules you can follow to assist your body in the sleeping process. "Keep a consistent sleep schedule, especially a consistent wake time—even on weekends and holidays—and give yourself enough time to sleep,” Dr. Goldschmied adds. Limiting your TV time before bed, putting your phone on the opposite side of your bedroom, and reducing your caffeine intake can also help prevent insomnia.

While it might feel hard to make these changes, just know that it's possible. So, put your phone down, turn off Netflix, and catch some z’s. And remember, there’s no need to panic if you think you’re experiencing insomnia, because there are plenty of resources available to help you finally think of sleep as a blissful activity.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/happens-body-youre-experiencing-insomnia-202034847.html

Nightmares Only Become More Prevalent With Age: 3 Tips To Prevent Them

From mindbodygreen.com

Nightmares are no fun. They're scary, they wake you up, and according to new research published in Sleep Medicine, they become more prevalent later in life. Here's what the research says, plus how to avoid nightmares going forward.

Studying nightmares in older adults 

This study, conducted by a team of researchers in Korea, aimed to look at nightmares specifically within elderly populations. They had 2,940 participants with an average age of 63 fill out questionnaires about nightmares, as well as sleep quality, stress, and depression.

In the sample of elderly folks over 50 years old, 2.7% reported experiencing nightmares. In the group over 70, that percentage jumped to 6.3%, which the study authors call "significantly higher." And on top of that, those who experienced nightmares had "significantly more sleep problems, higher suicidal ideation, depression, and stress compared to the non-nightmare group," the research notes.

Additional research also indicates insomnia becomes more prevalent with age, too, highlighting the importance of sleep hygiene for older populations in particular.

3 tips for preventing nightmares and getting better sleep

While it might seem impossible to control the kinds of dreams you have while you're asleep, there are preventive measures you can take to sleep more soundly, and hopefully, avoid the nightmares:

1. Try a magnesium supplement.

To help achieve deeper sleep, consider trying a magnesium supplement, like mbg's magnesium. In one small trial, magnesium helped patients manage insomnia symptoms, fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer across the board.* Additional research has also shown the mineral could be helpful in easing stress.

According to physician Robert Rountree, M.D., "For those who fall asleep OK but awaken during the night, I recommend taking the magnesium immediately before getting into bed," to help support a steadier sleep.

2. Check your thermostat.

Research shows that warmer temps in your bedroom can lead to fitful and nightmarish sleep. As holistic psychiatrist and sleep expert Ellen Vora, M.D., previously explained to mbg, "The optimal temperature for sleep is considered 65 degrees Fahrenheit."

3. Avoid eating before bed.

And lastly, if you're a late-night snacker and find that you're experiencing nightmares, it might be time to ditch the habit. Research shows the foods we eat, particularly before bed, can influence our sleep quality—and result in some weird dreams. Nightmares aside, eating before bed can lead to weight gain, indigestion while sleeping, and a myriad of other health issues.

The bottom line 

No one wants to be woken up in the middle of the night by a bad dream. And not only that, but sleep is crucial to our overall well-being. Knowing that nightmares can become more persistent as we get older, it's important we take steps to set ourselves up for a good night's sleep, particularly as we age, so we can sleep through the night and give our bodies the deep rest they need.

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/nightmares-get-more-prevalent-with-ageheres-how-to-prevent-them

What’s Causing Your Insomnia? Here’s the Real Reason You’re Up All Night

From parade.com

By Julia Savacool

If 2020 has kept you up at night, you are most definitely not alone. More than one in three Americans has reported an increase in trouble sleeping since the pandemic hit, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll. And with a large percentage of people now working at least part of the time remotely, work/home lines blur, schedules are turned upside-down, and bed and wake times—previously something so routine you hardly thought twice about it—are suddenly up for grabs.

All of this upheaval and stress is no good for your sleep habits, which thrive on calmness and consistency. More and more people are now facing insomnia and other sleep disorders. “Over the last year, especially since COVID started, we’ve noticed a high frequency of referrals, much more than ever before,” says neurologist and sleep specialist Alon Avidan, M.D., the director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Clinic in Los Angeles. “It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t have one sleep issue or another right now.” 

Interestingly though, while current stressful times are contributing to a temporary spike in insomnia cases, the sleep disorder may actually be less situational than doctors previously thought. A specific event (you got divorced, you lost your job, there’s a global pandemic) does raise the risk for sleepless nights, but a new report in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that insomnia is more likely to be a chronic condition rather than an event-driven one. In the study, researchers monitored more than 3,000 people over the course of five years. They found that of those who had insomnia initially, nearly 40 percent still battled it five years later.

And that’s the tricky thing: Insomnia can be a heck of a health issue to beat. “One in 10 Americans has insomnia,” says Dr. Avidan. “Of those, three or four have chronic insomnia, where you see sleep disruption over at least several months for a couple nights each week, with an impairment in daytime functioning.”

You might be thinking, OK, so what? I have trouble sleeping, but it’s not the end of the world. Right? Not exactly. Sleep deprivation is responsible for a whole host of unwanted effects on your body, from cognitive impairment (that’s code for making mistakes at work or while driving) to weight gain to increasing the odds of Alzheimer’s disease, according to 2018 National Institutes of Health study. Other research links poor sleep to type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and low immune function (a.k.a. getting sick easily).

Bottom line: Your body needs sleep to operate—and sleep disorders rarely solve themselves. Finding a remedy if you suffer from chronic insomnia takes time, but it can be done. First, you need to start with a solid understanding of what insomnia is and what causes it to occur.

So, what is insomnia?

Let’s start with what insomnia is not: It’s not staying up too late watching Seinfeld reruns. It’s not downing a litre of cola 30 minutes before bed and wondering why you can’t doze off. And it’s not vacationing in Maui and struggling to get your body’s clock adjusted to the multi-hour time difference.

Insomnia, in the clinical sense, is an inability to sleep soundly despite the best efforts to create a sleep-friendly space. It can be either acute (short-term, lasting a night to a few weeks) or chronic and long-lasting. “Everyone has the occasional night of poor sleep, but in order for sleep difficulties to meet criteria for chronic insomnia disorder, the individual needs to experience sleep disturbance at least three nights a week, for three months or longer, as well as daytime symptoms resulting from sleep difficulties,” says Michelle Drerup, Psy.D., the director of behavioural sleep medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. In a nutshell, says Drerup, “chronic insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep throughout the night, and/or waking up earlier than desired in the morning.”

If this is sounding familiar, clinicians have identified several other tell-tale signs you could have insomnia, including:

• Daytime tiredness
• Anxiety, irritability or depression
• Difficulty focusing or concentrating
• An increase in mental mistakes or physical accidents
• Growing concern over not being able to fall asleep

Adding a layer of complexity to its diagnosis, insomnia is both a disorder in itself (known as primary insomnia) and a symptom of other health conditions, ranging from depression to cancer to sleep apnea. This is known as secondary insomnia. It can be hard, in some cases, to distinguish between the two—lack of sleep can make you feel depressed, for example, and depression can lead to lack of sleep.

Talking with your doctor can help you get a better handle on the type of insomnia you have.

Understanding insomnia causes

Raise your hand if you’ve laid in bed at 2 a.m., wide awake and filled with frustration, wondering why you can’t just shut it down and go to sleep already. “People with insomnia have a group of neurons in the brain that simply don’t turn off,” explains Dr. Avidan. “Those neurons promote wakefulness and are widely distributed in the brain, making the signal to stay awake abnormally high.”

This hyperarousal, by the way, served a real purpose back in the day. Your caveman ancestors, like other members of the animal kingdom, were reluctant to fall asleep at night, as this left them vulnerable to enemy attack (see: becoming a lion’s dinner). The ability to prevent oneself from sleeping was a real advantage—and although little inventions like houses with doors have made such vigilance no longer necessary, the neural coding for it remains. “The body has developed a fairly large range of systems to keep itself awake or asleep,” says Dr. Avidan. “In people with insomnia, there is an ongoing battle between sleep-promoting and wake-promoting neurons.”

Lion attacks may no longer be relevant in modern life, but these other factors can cause a similar insomniac reaction:

• Stress: When your body senses tension in the air, it releases a string of chemicals like adrenalin that rev your system up for a fight, posing a serious challenge to dozing off.
• Environmental factors: The conditions you sleep in matter big time when it comes to how comfortable you feel, which in turn affects how quickly you drift off. Things like your bedroom lighting, room temperature and noise level all play a role in determining your sleep quality.
• Mental health issues: Depression and anxiety are the big ones when it comes to psychological disorders that contribute to insomnia.
• Other illness: Any health issue that causes you pain, like cancer or arthritis, can disrupt your sleep, causing you to wake during the night.
• Hormone fluctuations: “Hormonal changes, such as those related to menstruation, pregnancy, menopause or thyroid disease, can cause insomnia,” says Drerup.
• Medications: Many OTC and prescription drugs can mess with your sleep, including blood pressure meds (beta blockers and clonidine), heart medication (procainamide, quinidine, and disopyramide), corticosteroids used for asthma, flu and pain meds containing alcohol and caffeine, nicotine products and more.

Is insomnia genetic?

There is an exceptionally rare, obscure type of insomnia called fatal familial insomnia, which—as the name implies—is deadly. It typically shows up between the ages of 40 and 60 and is directly correlated with mutations in the PRNP gene. The disease typically kills people in six to 36 months, but there’s little reason to worry: Only 70 families with this condition have ever been reported in scientific literature, according to the National Institutes of Health Genetic and Rare Diseases Centre.

When it comes to more mainstream types of insomnia, “no one has discovered a certain gene where doctors can say, OK, if you have this gene then insomnia is present or if you can alter this gene, you’re cured,” says Dr. Avidan. “There is no real test you can do and say, well, the patient has a risk for insomnia.”

Still, scientists are getting closer to pinpointing genetic contributions to the sleep disorder. In one study, researchers at Harvard Medical School identified 57 gene regions associated with insomnia—albeit not specific genes themselves. “Recent research has also identified genes that may trigger the development of sleep issues and has also demonstrated a genetic link between insomnia and psychiatric disorders such as depression, as well as physical conditions such as type 2 diabetes,” says Drerup.

Even without a specific gene that can be identified as triggering insomnia, scientists agree there is an increased chance that you will develop the condition if someone in your family has it as well. A study of identical and non-identical twins at Virginia Commonwealth University found a heritability factor of around 59 percent for women and 38 percent for men.

For now, though, diagnosis of this disorder relies on patients describing their symptoms to their doctor, combined with things like sleep diaries, where you keep track of how much sleep you got and the quality of that sleep, over the course of several weeks. “Right now, insomnia is diagnosed clinically,” confirms Dr. Avidan. “There is no one genetic test.”

Treatments for insomnia

If you’re thinking the best thing to do when you can’t fall asleep is to pop an Ambien, you’d be wrong. “For chronic insomnia, the first line treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy,” says Drerup. “This brief, structured intervention helps you identify and replace thoughts and behaviours that cause or worsen sleep problems with habits that promote sound sleep.” Unlike sleeping pills, she points out, cognitive behavioural therapy addresses—and therefore helps you overcome—the underlying causes of your sleep problems.

Science backs her up: A recent study in the British Journal of General Practice found that just four sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia helped people fall asleep as much as 30 minutes faster and spend less time awake in the middle of the night. And happily, for those who are reluctant to make the schlep to see a therapist right now, other research verifies that digital cognitive behavioural therapy (online therapy through Zoom chats and iPhone apps you can download) are equally effective in treating insomnia.

In addition to a therapy-based approach, modifications to your sleeping space can also go a long way to helping you sleep better. Start with these strategies:

• Dim the lights: Bright lights are your body’s cue that it’s time to rise and shine—definitely not what you want when you’re struggling to sleep. If your bedroom window looks out on a streetlight or you work nights and sleep during the day, get yourself blackout shades for the windows.
• Put away devices: An hour before you hit the sack, it’s time to turn off your phone, tablet, laptop and TV. The blue light emitted from these devices messes with your melatonin levels—the chemical that tells your body it’s time for sleep.
• Turn down the thermostat: “Cooler temperatures help you feel sleepy,” says Dr. Avidan. Aim for 65 degrees in the bedroom.
• Limit noise: The sound of traffic or noisy neighbours is enough to keep even a good sleeper awake. White noise machines, wireless headphones, and apps that play soothing sounds like ocean waves can all help you meditate your way to deep sleep.

If your insomnia has gotten so bad that the stress of not being able to sleep is preventing you from doing just that, your doc may prescribe you sleep aids for temporary relief and to break the stress-feedback cycle. The trouble, though, is that these pills don’t just make you sleep, they sedate you, says Dr. Avidan. “Drugs like benzodiazepines (Xanax) or zolpidem (Ambien) make you feel groggy,” he explains. “Whenever you use a medication to promote sleep or diminish wakefulness, you don’t get normal sleep, you get sedation, and that’s not necessarily healthy.” These are a few meds your doctor may talk with you about for short-term help with your insomnia (always ask about side effects before taking):

• doxepin (Silenor)
• estazolam (Prosom)
• eszopiclone (Lunesta)
• ramelteon (Rozerem)
• suvorexant (Belsomra)
• trazodone (Desyrel)
• zaleplon (Sonata)
• zolpidem (Ambien)

How to treat anxiety-induced insomnia

Insomnia—regardless of its cause—is usually treated the same way: Cognitive behavioural therapy, lifestyle modifications and if all else fails, medication. It’s possible that anti-anxiety meds themselves may help, if your anxiety is the root cause for the sleep troubles, but it can sometimes be hard to separate cause and effect, notes Dr. Avidan. “There is a huge placebo effect in sleep medicine—if you believe something works, it usually does,” he says.

There also appears to be a growing trend, he says, of people seeking insomnia help without medication. About 70-80 percent of patients at the UCLA Sleep Disorders Centre say they would prefer to fall asleep naturally—a marked change from several years ago, he says. Where prescription drugs are falling out of vogue, cannabis-everything is the newest in-demand sleep aid. CBD gummies, oils, drops, and more (cocktails, anyone?) are being touted by cannabis companies as “natural cures” for insomnia—although there is limited evidence suggesting they work.

Weighted blankets are another natural sleep remedy, relying on the gentle pressure from the heavy blanket to provide a sense of calm and security. There is little downside to giving it a try: Look for a blanket weighted to about 10-15 percent of your body weight, and if you’re in naturally warmer climes, seek options that are breathable as well.

In addition, activities like walking and yoga have been shown to lower stress and anxiety levels, so incorporating movement and stretching into your day may ease some of your insomnia symptoms. Exercise has the extra benefit of getting you outdoors and into the sunlight. This triggers your body’s internal wake/sleep clock, which may reset itself and be more likely to encourage sleep when night falls. “I tell patients to try and promote wakefulness during the day,” says Dr. Avidan. “Wake up, go for a walk, get light exposure. Walk the dog. Especially right now with so many people staying indoors, you don’t get the circadian signal when it’s time to be awake or go to bed.”

How do you know if you have insomnia?

Symptoms of insomnia occur in approximately one-third to half of adults in the U.S., says Drerup, but the full-on disorder is estimated to affect 10-15 percent of the population. An even smaller subset of those go on to be officially diagnosed with chronic insomnia.

Because there is no single test for chronic insomnia, many doctors go by the textbook definition of needing three or more nights of sleeplessness for three or more months in a row. In reality though, you and your doctor need to use your common sense and good judgment in determining whether or not you have insomnia, says Dr. Avidan: “If I see a patient who has been having terrible sleep issues twice a week for a month, am I going to say, ‘Sorry, can’t help you, you don’t have insomnia.’? Of course not!”

The ultimate decision on whether to call it a disorder or not depends on the degree to which a person’s sleep challenges interfere with their quality of life, he adds—regardless of whether it’s twice a week or every night. “If a patient tells you they are suffering, their quality of life is impaired, or daytime fatigue is so bad they’re having difficulty holding a job,” he says, “it’s a sleep disorder and it needs treatment.”

For more help falling—and staying—asleep, check out these sleep-friendly podcasts.

https://parade.com/1131566/julia-savacool/insomnia-causes-treatment/