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Insomnia

KOL: Kathy Parker, PhD, RN

It never ceases to amaze me the degree and the extent to which you can totally change someone's life by either helping them go to sleep at night, or helping them stay awake during the day.

They don't feel well, typically. They're not as alert, they often have difficulty functioning during the day. Difficulty with relationships is very common. They don't have patience, they don't have… they're short tempered, they're irritable.

Insomnia has many symptoms associated with it. And, this includes difficulty with sleep, getting to sleep, staying asleep, waking up too early in the morning, and then just feeling unrefreshed in the morning. So, insomnia has many faces.

I think to some degree, we all know what that's like. Because if you wake up, and you don't get enough sleep or if you have to get up extra early. Well imagine what that feels like when that happens every single day.

If you're not sleeping well, but you think that's normal for you… That need not be the case. There is help available; there are many options for treatment. Insomnia can be treated, and treated very effectively.

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Why Seek Treatment

KOL: Kathy Parker, PhD, RN

I think we probably don't see a lot of patients with insomnia because they've just accepted it, that this is the way it is for me and there's not anything that can be done.

The other thing is the misconception that it's all in my head, you know, I should be able to take care of this… my doctor will think less of me. Not recognizing that insomnia is a very important physical problem. And, no one should be embarrassed.

Unfortunately in our 24 seven culture, it's almost like a red badge of courage. I can get by on four hours of sleep. They'll think, oh well I had a bad night last night – or for the last three months I've had problems, you know that's… I'm fine during the day. Well oftentimes, they're not fine during the day.

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Strategies

KOL: Kathy Parker, PhD, RN

One of the most important things that you can do to help yourself go to sleep is to have what we call a bedtime ritual. People have many different rituals. It's watching an hour of TV, or reading a book, or taking a shower, or getting your clothes out. And, these are all cues to your brain that you're getting ready to go to sleep. And, it's very important to have some wind-down time.

For those individuals who just can't seem to let go of the day, oftentimes what we suggest is they have a pen and a pencil near their bed. And, if they're afraid that they're going to forget to do something… write it down and let it go. And, that is very helpful.

Turning the clock around. Set your alarm clock, you don't obsess over what time of the night it is.

A healthy body, a healthy mind. Getting exercise during the day, having a good diet, a comfortable environment. Darkness is very important. Eye masks work nicely.

Patients, I think, need to be their own advocate. It's important for them to go talk to their healthcare provider and explain their symptoms and not go away without some kind of plan to address the problem.

There are a number of medications that are available that can very effectively help people get to sleep and stay asleep and they should be taken under the direction of their healthcare provider and they should be aware of potential side effects. They're often used today to manage insomnia in combination with behavioral therapies.

When you enable an individual to sleep, it just can be transformative. And, you've made a difference in, a huge difference in someone's life.

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Meet Nancy

I first started to realize that sleep was going to be a problem when I went through my divorce. I wake up in the middle of the night, worrying, and I'm awake for hours. It is a very frustrating time because I know that I need to get some sleep because I'm going to be really cranky in the morning. I have a lot to do between taking care of my kids and my mom and the house and the dog… a lot of responsibility which I think is what's almost what's keeping me awake, thinking about all that responsibility.

I'll wake up in the morning, get up with the kids, get them off to school, start my day. And then around 2:00, I am so unbelievable tired that I need to just lay down for half an hour and take a nap, but part of me says, " Well if you do that might affect your sleep tonight." It's just this whole big mind game that you play.

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning and I'm really tired, I'll just go out for a walk and get some fresh air, take my dog for a walk, and that seems to give me a little burst of energy. Sometimes at night I'll have some Chamomile tea before I go to bed.

When I don't sleep at night, I don't feel good. It affects me emotionally, physically. You know it's very frustrating, not getting a good night's sleep.

I find that I am taking a lot of my crankiness out on my kids and my mom. I just don't want to do that anymore, and it's from not getting a good night's sleep.

I just feel if I had a good night's sleep, it would make my day go by so much easier, and I think my attitude would change. I feel at this point it is time for me to go and speak to a doctor and get help.

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Meet Shovaughn

I am an aspiring singer and my concern with the insomnia impacting that career is they're always on the go.

I guess the first time I thought I had or I discovered that I had insomnia was probably my senior in high school. I have seven brothers and sisters, so late at night everybody sleep and I'm still the only person up and it's one o'clock in the morning...

I really, to be honest with you, didn't put a name to it until I went to college and I took a psych class and my psych class talked about insomnia and I'm like: "Oh that's what it is!"

I watch about two to three movies at night depending on how long it takes me to get to sleep.

I usually wake up tired every single day. My job that I have is extremely busy. I have to be there 100%. I find myself getting irritate rather quickly. Normally when I come in in the morning I kind of don't want to be bothered for like a good 30 minutes, let me just sit in my office drink my coffee and kind of gather myself.

I had a job interview. In the middle of the interview, I like nodded up and fell asleep. And I was like, " Did I just fall asleep in a job interview, like while he was asking me a question?" Needless to say, I didn't get that job.

The alarm clock I dread looking at every time I wake up because I'm like I know when I wake up it's not time for me to get up. Especially if I wake up and I see that it's 1:00 and then I wake up again and I see that it's 1:30.

I'm like are you kidding me. I haven't even had 30 minutes of sleep and I'm waking up again. It's..I hate the alarm clock. But I need it.

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Meet Matt

I think my lack of sleep is definitely lonely. When I go to bed, it's just me in bed.

And now on to college it's especially hard while I'm living on my own and I don't have like parents or friends there to encourage me so I have to really do things by myself.

The first big chunk of my day is just devoted to trying to wake myself up to a point where I can actually function.

Living in the city and with this condition, it's really…it's a juggling act.

So there is this breaking point I believe, that everyone with this condition comes to and they realize that you're absolutely sick of having to deal with this. And at that point I think it is best to seek out professional help.

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