Sleep Insights

You wake up, terrified, from a sound sleep. You fell from a great height, you got swept up in a tidal wave, or you are running for your life. If any of this sounds familiar, join the club. Research suggests that more than 85 percent of adults occasionally experience nightmares — at least once a month for 8 to 29 percent, and once a week for 2 to 6 percent. If you have never experienced a nightmare, understand that this is no ordinary dream. They are disturbing dreams that cause the dreamer to wake suddenly in a terrified state.

Why do we have nightmares? Nightmares in adults are often spontaneous. But they can also be caused by a variety of factors or underlying disorders.

Sleep deprivation may contribute to adult nightmares, which themselves often cause people to lose additional sleep. A recurring cycle can be created between lack of sleep and nightmares. Some adult nightmares can be caused by sleep disorders. Including sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.

Others have nightmares after having a late-night snack, which can increase metabolism and signal the brain to be more active. Some medications are also known to contribute to nightmare frequency. Withdrawal from medications and substances, including alcohol and tranquilizers, may trigger nightmares. There can be a number of psychological triggers that cause nightmares in adults. For example, anxiety and depression can cause adult nightmares. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also commonly causes people to experience chronic, recurrent nightmares.

Understanding the cause of nightmares is the first step in solving the issue. Whether occasional, or weekly, if you experience nightmares talk to your doctor about possible causes and understand what treatments might be available.

While some of these tips for getting better sleep might seem “obvious,” when put into practice as a regimen, many people will experience better sleep by “training” their bodies to indeed…. sleep.

1. Maintain A Consistent Sleep Schedule – Simply put – go to bed at or at nearly the same time each night.
2. Don’t Go To Bed Too Early – If you aren’t ready for sleep then the frustration of not falling asleep will simply add to fatigue and give you extra time to worry.
3. Don’t Stay In Bed If You Can’t Sleep – Continuing to lie in bed when you can’t sleep simply adds to the frustration and stress of not sleeping – doing something quiet (reading, watching TV) and then returning to bed will make for a more restful night’s sleep.
4. Exercise – It’s simple really – exercise improves sleep quality – but don’t exercise too close to bedtime – it might have the opposite effect.
5. Reduce Alcohol And Caffeine – Limit caffeine in the afternoon and evening so as not to impair sleep.
6. Don’t “Try” To Sleep – Sleep is not something you can force on yourself. Instead, do something calming and quiet until your body feels ready for sleep.

Medications and non-drug treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) are also effective at managing insomnia. CBT-I involves four to six sessions of a treatment focused on changing your thoughts and behaviors about sleep.

Chronic insomnia (insomnia lasting over four weeks) is experienced by 40 million Americans. This means that on any given night in this country, 40 million people are experiencing the frustration of a poor night’s sleep. While for many of us sleep problems are temporary and are experienced during times of stress, for others, insomnia becomes a way of life.

What Is Insomnia?

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Difficulty staying asleep
• Waking up too early and having difficulty returning to sleep

If you give yourself the right amount of time and the right environment for sleep, but you are still suffering the negative consequences of poor or lack of sleep, then you are dealing with insomnia.

How Insomnia Affects Us

Insomnia can impact both your physical and mental health. Here are just some of the symptoms sufferers report:

• Mental and physical fatigue
• Irritable and depressed mood
• Difficulty with concentration
• Strained interpersonal relationships

Recent research has also linked insomnia to the development of health conditions such as high blood pressure and heart attacks.

So in a nutshell, if you suffer from insomnia you are likely dealing with negative health consequences, and on top of that – straining your friendships and other relationships.

It’s time to take a quick test to see where you stand with your sleep. Answer eight quick questions that can give you a determination of your sleep health.  http://www.sleepinsights.com/quiz/quiz0.html?question_number_0=1&x=60&y=24