Insomnia, I never had it, but I had circumstances physical and

[HysteryDiagnosis]

mental that created the symptom called insomnia. Nighty nite.

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A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, April 11, 2001) is shedding new light on insomnia from a rather unique treatment perspective. It has nothing to do with the latest pharmaceutical breakthrough, the most commonly touted supplement, or counting sheep.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center studied 75 men and women (average age 55.3 years) with sleep maintenance insomnia, a condition characterized by more than 30 minutes of awake time in the middle of the night. These people did not experience transient sleep problemsæ subjects on average noted 13.6 years of insomnia. Participants were randomly divided into 3 6-week interventions which included cognitive behavioral therapy including sleep education, stimulus control, and time-in-bed restrictions, relaxation training or placebo therapy.

The investigators used polysomnography (sleep studies) to determine outcomes. The most favorable effects were found in cognitive behavioral group participants who manifested a 54% reduction in wake time after sleep onset even through 6 months of follow-up. Those in the relaxation group and the placebo group averaged 16% and 12% reductions respectively. Sleep efficiency (the amount of time asleep compared to the total time in bed) was 85% for the cognitive behavioral group compared with 78.8% in the relaxation group.

http://www.lef.org/protocols/lifestyle_longevity/insomnia_01.htm

Insomnia
Updated: 04/18/2006

Good, refreshing sleep is essential for health. There is no doubt that chronic insomnia is frustrating, but there is also evidence that insomnia is linked to early death and serious declines in quality of life. Studies show that poor sleepers receive fewer promotions, have increased rates of absenteeism, and tend to demonstrate poor productivity (Leigh JP 1991; Rajput V et al 1999).

Insomnia is everywhere in the industrialized world. A recently published survey indicates that insomnia afflicts slightly more than 27 percent of adults in the United States (Leger D et al 2005). In an international study of insomniacs, the most common complaint was poor “sleep maintenance,” cited by 73 percent, while difficulty falling asleep came in second, at 61 percent. About half the study participants (48 percent) cited “poor sleep quality” as their predominant symptom (Leger D et al 2005).


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... continuing from part 1 ...
A reader asks, "Are there any foods, vitamins, herbs, etc, that can help with insomnia? I've had sleeping problems for years, and I would really appreciate any kind of useful information."

In part one of this Q&A, we talked about how lack of exposure to natural sunlight causes hormonal imbalances that result in chronic sleeping problems. In part 2, we're moving on to talk about the dietary influences of sleep disorders:

As far as the main imbalancers of hormones in the body, the primary culprits are dietary stimulants, or what I call metabolic disruptors. Perhaps the most frequently abused stimulant of all is coffee and caffeine. A person who is taking caffeine on a regular basis typically does so because they feel drowsy in the morning since they haven't had a good night's sleep in the first place. But by drinking coffee to wake up, a vicious cycle is created. The caffeine perks them up in the morning, but at the same time, it overstresses the adrenal glands and the endocrine system, which causes imbalances later on during the day, especially when used over a long period of time. So if you are a regular consumer of caffeine, you're going to find that your production of melatonin and other hormones is disrupted in the long term, even though caffeine may make you feel more awake in the morning.

The trick to all this is getting off caffeine permanently and never ingesting this neurotoxic substance ever again in your life. One of the best ways to do that is to pick up the book by Dr. Jonathan Wright called The New Detox Diet. This book teaches people how to get off caffeine and also informs them of some of the very good reasons why you need to stop poisoning your nervous system with this insecticide (caffeine is created by plants to kill insects).


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Acupuncture and herbs have shown to be beneficial in alleviating the symptoms of insomnia by treating the root of the problem. Insomnia may have a number of causes, including stress, depression or anxiety; irregular work schedules; medications, drug or alcohol abuse; major life changes; chronic pain, hyperthyroidism or arthritis.

A study published recently in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, reports that patients who received acupressure and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) experienced a significant improvement with their symptoms, including problems of fatigue, sleep quality and depression. The results from this study suggest that acupressure or TEAS might have an important role in managing patients with fatigue, poor sleep quality and depression.

By addressing all of the contributing factors using acupuncture and herbs, a patient can completely resolve their sleep disturbances. Oriental medicine helps do this by treating the whole person and focusing on bringing the entire body into balance.