![]() The chances are that either you, or someone very close to you, could directly benefit from this new knowledge, given how prevalent insomnia is. “Insomnia is a solvable problem,” says Colin Espie at the University of Oxford. ![]() Simply put, we are now in a much better position to work out why someone has trouble sleeping – and the best way to bring them the rest they so desperately seek. ![]() This deeper understanding of how the brain can cause this debilitating condition means we have reached a turning point in its treatment. For some patients, cognitive behavioral treatment of insomnia (CBT-I) helps correct the problem, while for others, sleep medication is still necessary. But an explosion in sleep research over the past few years has helped to identify the neurological and mental processes underlying it. Yet, for decades, scientists had struggled to offer a good solution. It is also one that has far-reaching health and economic impacts. That may be a familiar feeling for many: insomnia is a common condition. Parker’s character experienced such angst from her unwanted wakefulness that she considered “busting over the temple with a night-light”. The more you try to create the right conditions for sleep, the more elusive it appears the very desire makes it impossible to achieve. It also can arise at different times of someone’s life, such as when enduring a heavy course load at college, menopause or caregiving. You will almost certainly relate to this frustration if you have ever found it difficult to nod off. Chronic insomnia can lead to increased risk and severity of long-term diseases or conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Typically, CBT-I is equally or more effective than sleep medications. ![]() “Early to bed, and you’ll wish you were dead. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) can help you control or eliminate negative thoughts and actions that keep you awake and is generally recommended as the first line of treatment for people with insomnia. For example, sleeping in on weekends or looking at bright screens in bed. How do people fall asleep? I’m afraid I’ve lost the knack,” muses the unnamed protagonist in Dorothy Parker’s 1933 short story The Little Hours. The most common cause of sleep problems is poor sleeping habits. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |