Fwd: The 3 Rs of Insomnia

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Carol. Here's a link to the article. I struggle with

this a bit myself.

Avoid Insomnia With the Three R's

Relaxation, Restricted sleep, and Reconditioning can be more

effective than other treatments when dealing with insomnia. Find

out why falling asleep may be easier to do when you follow the

three R's.

http://bit.ly/ctmwAM

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Subject: [nhl-malt] The 3 Rs of Insomnia

By Norra MacReady

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

You’ve done it all — adhered to a strict sleep-wake schedule,

sworn off

caffeine past 10 a.m., exercised religiously during your lunch

hour,

and even removed the TV from your bedroom. Still, you toss and

turn.

Maybe it’s time to look into the three R's of insomnia

treatment:

relaxation therapy, restricted sleep, and reconditioning.

All

three are “behavioral techniques that work better than

medication over

the long term,†explains C. Kohler, MD, medical director

of the

Florida Sleep Institute in Spring Hill, Fla., and a spokesperson

for

the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. In general, he explains,

behavioral treatments should be ranked among the first-line

therapies

for insomnia, with medication reserved for a temporary fix.

Three R's of Insomnia Treatment: Relaxation Therapy

The

name says it all: Relaxation therapy helps calm the body and

mind

before bedtime, so your muscles are relaxed and your mind doesn’t

race

from one thought to the next, triggering insomnia. Standard

relaxation

techniques range from listening to music to more elaborate

activities

including yoga and meditation. Guided imagery is a technique

that

allows you to relax your mind and explore issues that may be

troubling

you in a stress-free, non-threatening way.

Progressive

relaxation focuses on relaxing individual muscle groups in

sequence.

For example, you might start by tightening your facial muscles

for

three to five seconds, then releasing them, followed by your

neck,

shoulders, abdominals, and any other muscle group that may feel

tense.

By the end, your entire body should be relaxed.

Many classes, books, Web sites, and videos are available to

train you in these insomnia techniques.

Three R's of Insomnia Treatment: Restricted Sleep

Based

on the observation that people with insomnia spend a

disproportionate

amount of their time in bed tossing and turning, but not

sleeping,

sleep restriction aims to improve the quality as well as the

duration

of your sleep. Essentially, the idea is to limit your total

sleep time

to just a few hours each night, with the nightly limit prolonged

by

about 15 to 20 minutes each week.

Eventually, you become so

sleepy that the drive to doze off is irresistible and falling

asleep

becomes easier. This can restore the association between bed and

sleeping and can help you overcome sleep performance anxiety.

Sleep

restriction must be done under the supervision of a sleep

specialist,

who will determine how many hours you’re initially restricted to

after

you maintain a sleep diary for one to two weeks.

Three R's of Insomnia Treatment: Reconditioning

The

reconditioning technique helps strengthen the association

between bed

and falling asleep by requiring you to use your bed for sleep

and sex

only. You go to bed when you feel sleepy — if you don’t fall

asleep,

you get up and return to bed only when you feel drowsy again.

You wake

up and go to sleep at the same time each day and night and

should

resist the urge to nap during the day. The idea is to

recondition your

mind and body so that falling asleep is a snap and insomnia is a

thing

of the past.