Smarter Sleeping 101

A new study has revealed that one in every four Americans suffers from insomnia, and women are the most affected.The study conducted with more than 9,000 adults showed that one in three people wakes up in the middle of the night at least three times a week due to stress.

Twenty-seven percent of women wake up every night, compared to 19 per cent of men following financial fears, family arguments, or problems at work.

“This is the first really good data we have showing the importance of nocturnal awakening in insomnia,” said Dr James Walsh, of St Lukes hospital, in St Louis, Missouri.

“It shows a strong overlap between the awakening and other sleep problems and it suggests that nocturnal awakening is a very under-appreciated aspect of insomnia,” he added.

This week’s Insomnia Story comes from the Islington Tribune.  Poor Marsha Soriano is kept up night after night living above a lively night club.  Unfortunately I have met too many people, especially here in New York, who have experienced the same issues.  They’ve tried sleeping in other rooms, turning up the TV or music, using earplugs, even yelling down at the club patrons below (probably the worst out of the ideas listed.)  Marsha decided to keep a journal of her noise problem and is now doing something about it.  Read the excerpt below:

“ A TEACHER has re­vealed how noise from an Islington bar has almost ruined her marriage.
Marsha Soriano has documented her sleepless nights in a noise diary, which will provide vital evidence when councillors review the Ladybird bar’s licence at the Town Hall on Monday.
Her notes, written in the middle of the night, describe how loud music from the Upper Street bar keeps her awake at the flat she shares with her husband Cesar. She has taken sleeping pills and spends part of the night on a sofa to escape the noise.
Bar owner Habib Eldebs maintains he has done everything he can to keep the noise down.
Ms Soriano said: “We’re moving out. We can’t take it any more. We want him to run a business and don’t care if he’s open till 4am, we just don’t want to hear it.”

Keep reading… 

This week’s Insomnia Story comes from the popular site She Knows.  This is for all the new mother’s who have discovered a new found sleeping issue along with their little bundle of joy:

“Every now and again, no matter how tired I am, it happens, I go through several days of having a very difficult time sleeping. I’m sleepy and yawning and (day)dreaming about my favorite flannel sheets, but when the lights go out, my eyes won’t close.

I’ve never been able identify a trigger or a pattern for these episodes. It doesn’t seem to be related to family issues or work issues or other issues. Perhaps it’s environmental or even hormonal. No matter what it is, I’m restless on those nights. I can’t settle my brain even though I’m not thinking about anything in particular. Trivial things bounce through, not really stopping to be considered or resolved. I’m not particularly aware of big things lurking in the shadows, but probably they are there.”

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This robust list comes from Jessica Hupp from the Nursing Online Education Database.  The first 14 are posted here, you’ll have to visit the site for the remaining 36:

1. Get on a regular schedule: Following a regular schedule can improve the quality of your sleep by keeping your sleep phases consistent.
2. Open a window: Get some fresh air to improve the quality of your sleep.
3. Reduce or eliminate caffeine: Caffeine can mess with your energy levels and disrupt sleep patterns, so reduce or eliminate use of it, especially in the hours before you go to bed.
4. Only sleep in your bed: Use your bed exclusively for restful activities, not work or TV.
5. Don’t go to bed with a full stomach: Going to bed with a full stomach can result in disruption, because digestion takes energy.
6. Meditate: Focus on relaxing to let yourself get better rest.
7. Stay away from the computer and TV: Backlit screens can stimulate your brain in a way that’s not conducive to sleep.
8. Realize that sleep is vital: Give yourself all of the time you need to get a good night’s rest.
9. Don’t snooze: If you’re snoozing every morning, you’re stealing valuable moments of quality sleep. Set your alarm clock later and get up right away.
10. Write out what’s on your mind: Create a worry list to put things out of your mind and get to sleep.
11. Don’t stress yourself out: Don’t force yourself to sleep if you’re not tired, or become worried when it takes you a while to get to bed. Sleep will come eventually.
12. Sleep in a dark room: Limit your exposure to light in order to keep your body’s internal cycles intact.
13. Drink something warm before bed: Raise your body temperature to induce sleep with warm milk or herbal tea.
14. Never go to bed hungry: Just like a too-large meal, going to bed with an empty stomach will disrupt your sleep.

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The Cure for Insomnia, directed by John Henry Timmis IV, is officially the world’s longest movie, according to Guinness World Records, as of its release in 1987. Running 5220 minutes (87 hours) in length, the movie has no plot, instead consisting of artist L. D. Groban reading his lengthy poem “A Cure for Insomnia” over the course of three and a half days, spliced with occasional clips from heavy metal and pornographic videos.

The movie is shot entirely on video, and its intended purpose actually was to be so unbelievably boring that it would put people to sleep thus curing insomnia. It is therefore disputed as to whether or not The Cure for Insomnia should even be considered as a candidate for the world’s longest film in the strictest sense.

It was first played in its entirety at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois from January 31 to February 3, 1987 in one continuous showing. It is not clear whether or not the movie has been shown since then.

Has anyone seen any part of this film?