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As
quoted
by the
New York
Times:
“Americans are taking
sleeping
pills
like
never
before.
About 42
million
sleeping
pills
prescriptions
where
filled
last
year"."
More
sleeping
pills
are used
in the
United
States
as a
result
of our
modern
day
lifestyle"."
Careful
investigation
and
history
are
needed
to
overcome
this
problem”
What causes
Insomnia?
Insomnia
is a
result of
another
problem
and has a
wide
variety of
causes
including.
Psychological
factors:
Some
people are
more
predisposed
genetically.
This
together
with a
precipitating
event such
as loss of
a loved
one,
divorce,
loss of a
job or
other
major life
events
could lead
to
insomnia.
Some
people
turn to
the
following
in order
to deal
with these
stresses,
which are
non
productive.
-
Use of
stimulants:
As
caffeine,
nicotine
and some
over the
counter
medications
can
alter
sleep if
chronically
used
-
Alcohol: The
majority
thinks
that it
helps
people
to
sleep.
Yes, it
makes
you fall
asleep,
but it
also
makes
you
sleep
more
broken
throughout
the
night.
-
Other
factors:
This
could
include
erratic
work
hours,
shift
work,
periodic
leg
movement,
GERD,
inactive
behavior,
a quiet
lifestyle
or
misuse
or
overuse
of
sleeping
pills.
What is
sleep and
why do we
sleep?
Sleep is a
phenomenon
that needs
to take
place to
pay a debt
accumulated
during the
day.
There are
several
research
theories
to why we
sleep
ranging
from
temperature
regulation
and immune
system
protection
to brain
energy
restoration.
Sleep is a
complex
phenomenon
with many
neurotransmitters
regulating
it and
keeping it
checked to
assure
adequate
body
function
during
sleep as
well as
awakening.
What is the
impact of
insomnia on
your daily
life and
activity?
If you
have not
slept well,
during the
day you will
experience:
-
Decreased
energy
-
Poor
memory
-
Poor
intellectual
functions
Fine,
-
complex
functions
are
impaired
-
Mood
alteration
-
Decreased
productivity
-
Increased
use of
stimulants
such as
coffee and
tea, that
will later
affect
your heart
and
disturb
your sleep
even
more
During the
night you
will
experience:
-
Increased
frustration
-
Decreased
intimacy
to loved
ones
-
Increased
worry
about the
next day’s
responsibilities
-
Months and
years of
this
problem
could
result in
loss of
job,
relationships
and
depression.
Does
everyone who
has
difficulty
sleeping
have
insomnia?
No, this
is simply
not true.
Sleep
misperception
is an
entity
where an
individual
believes
he or she
is not
sleeping
well
despite a
good
adequate
sleep time
on a sleep
study.
Therefore,
history
taking and
a sleep
study can
better
outline
true
versus
false
insomnia.
When should
you seek
help?
If your
sleep has
been
disturbed
for more
than one
month and
it has
affected
your daily
performance
or your
current
job.
How we can
help you?
A sleep
specialist
will
perform a
full
history &
examination
to outline
all
possible
predisposing
and
precipitating
factors.
Then a
sleep
study
and/or
actigraphy
(a device
used to
evaluate
the
pattern
and
duration
of your
sleep)
will be
done.
Once that
is
complete a
treatment
plan will
be
directed
according
to our
findings.
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