Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Sleep Seekers: The Insomniacs Reference Guide
    Sleep Seekers: The Insomniacs Reference Guide
    Sleep Seekers: The Insomniacs Reference Guide
    Ebook194 pages2 hours

    Sleep Seekers: The Insomniacs Reference Guide

    By William Dorich and Doug Childress. M.D.

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Discover the alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter drugs in resolving your lack of sleep.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateDec 9, 2010
    ISBN9781882383856
    Sleep Seekers: The Insomniacs Reference Guide

    Read more from William Dorich

    Related to Sleep Seekers

    Related ebooks

    Wellness For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Bust Through Brain Fog

      Jan 8, 2023

      Bust Through Brain Fog
      4 min read

    • Article

      Why Meds Aren’t Always The Answer When It Comes To Insomnia

      Sep 19, 2023

      Popping a pill might seem the simplest way to solve a sleeping problem, but it could make things worse for your health in the long run When it comes to good old British small talk, sleep appears to be up there with the weather. As a nation, we are p

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Power Of Good Sleep

      May 4, 2021

      The Power Of Good Sleep
      1 min read

    • Article

      Do You Have Good Sleep Hygiene?

      Aug 11, 2021

      Do You Have Good Sleep Hygiene?
      5 min read

    • Article

      Do You Have Good Sleep Hygiene?

      Aug 11, 2021

      Do You Have Good Sleep Hygiene?
      4 min read

    • Article

      It’s TIME to DE-THINK SLEEP

      Jun 17, 2022

      ‘How are you sleeping?’ I was a little taken aback when my GP asked me this question. I was in his office for a new Yaz script, not sleep issues. I shrugged. ‘Badly.’ ‘For how long?’ ‘Uh,’ I laughed wryly, ‘my whole life?’ It was true. I can’t recal

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Doctor Is In

      Nov 14, 2023

      Q: Dear Max, I am experiencing extreme insomnia. I just can’t sleep. My GP prescribed a short course of sleeping pills which helped, but without them I can’t sleep. I’ve tried reducing my caffeine intake, exercising more and changing my diet, but not

      1 min read

    • Article

      Meet Your Energy Thieves

      Apr 7, 2021

      Meet Your Energy Thieves
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Guide To Crushing Stress

      May 1, 2019

      The Guide To Crushing Stress
      8 min read

    • Article

      Dream Big

      Mar 11, 2020

      Dream Big
      10 min read

    • Article

      Do I Suck at Sleeping?

      Nov 22, 2022

      Do I Suck at Sleeping?
      1 min read

    • Article

      Advice From A Real Sleep Scientist

      Jun 17, 2022

      ‘I’ve had so many people come to see me who never thought of themselves as having a sleep disorder, yet they tell me, “My sleep tracker tells me I’m not sleeping enough!”’ says Dr Rae, who has a special interest in the relationship between sleep, the

      3 min read

    • Article

      How To Feel Rested

      Mar 23, 2022

      How To Feel Rested
      5 min read

    • Article

      Mental Health Blueprint

      Nov 25, 2022

      Mental Health Blueprint
      9 min read

    • Article

      Sleeping with Diabetes

      Aug 9, 2019

      Sleeping with Diabetes
      5 min read

    • Article

      DANGERS of Dr Google

      Feb 7, 2021

      It’s a busy day at the office and your left eye has been twitching uncontrollably. So, out of curiosity and irritation, you Google it. Various benign causes — stress, exhaustion, too much caffeine — put your mind at ease initially. But you don’t sto

      2 min read

    • Article

      Taking Back Control

      Dec 19, 2019

      Taking Back Control
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Hers Guide To Crushing Stress

      May 1, 2020

      The Hers Guide To Crushing Stress
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Sleep Seekers

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Sleep Seekers - William Dorich

      Chapter 1   For Those Who Seek Sleep

      It’s 2 am. Out of frustration once again you have decided to finally give into your demons, turn on the light, and pick up a book. You’re tired of the late night infomercials, and working on the computer just isn’t going to happen tonight. You know the drill. You go to bed hoping tonight will be the rare night of sleep-filled ecstasy that leaves you bursting with energy the next day. Instead here you are again irritated, exhausted, and unfortunately awake.

      First, you must realize you are not alone. Insomnia affects many people at some point of their life; and chronic longstanding insomnia affects 60 million people in the U.S. alone, or roughly 12 percent of the population. Is there any wonder sleep medications are so popular? Contrary to our quick-fix society of healthcare where a pill is often the remedy, long term treatment of insomnia is rarely an attractive mode of treatment. However, time and time again, medications are simply not effective in the long run for insomnia and often cause more harm than good. If you chose to pick up this book instead of popping a pill, you made a wise choice in trying to manage your insomnia.

      In this book, several areas will be covered. It is important to define what insomnia is and what it is not. Some forms of insomnia are normal, whereas many forms are the result of aberrations on normal sleep patterns. Some individuals believe they have insomnia when they actually have other sleep disorders mimicking insomnia. By defining insomnia, mechanisms that highlight underlying causes can then be identified which can lead to more effective treatments. Much has been learned about the nervous system and sleep in the last few decades, and this information has shed significant light on causation and providing good directions for treatment.

      While medications will be discussed in detail, it is important to state up front that medications are poor choices for long term insomnia treatment. Side effects, dependency, and costs are just a few significant reasons why these are not ideal for chronic therapy. Behavioral therapies are actually much more effective and healthier, thus providing safe longterm solutions that work more effectively. Generally, these measures require more patience. But remember, chronic insomnia didn’t develop overnight and therefore its resolution is not likely to be immediate either.

      As you read the information in this book, it is important to consider the recommendations for treatment as investments in better sleep ability. Taking shortcuts in this approach will often result in temporary benefits that fail over time. Seeking relief from a sleep aide provides an example of such a shortcut. The symptoms of insomnia abate temporarily, but the underlying causes of the sleep difficulty remain. It is like putting a pillow over a ticking bomb—you can no longer hear the ticking but eventually the bomb will still explode.

      This book aims at examining the underlying mechanisms of sleeplessness and then invoking behaviors and treatments that target these mechanisms more effectively. This may be contrary to the normal expectations of many patients who want a quick fix, but healthy solutions generally are slower for insomnia treatment. The body is amazing in its ability to self-correct itself given the right environment. The goal therefore is to create an optimal environment for quality sleep to occur. A better sleep environment will be one focus for achieving a better night’s sleep, while enhancing normal physiologic features of the body will be others.

      Living in Pressured Times

      In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a trend started out of Seattle along with the information highway. Java beans excelled along with JavaScript, and a nation quickly fell in love with a variety of coffee related drinks. Of course, caffeinated drinks have been around for many centuries, but the combination of internet speed and caffeine made a perfect marriage. Information was now available faster which meant decisions were made faster. If you didn’t keep up, your competitors would. The pressure was on!

      How can someone competing to make a living, support a family, graduate from college, or get a promotion achieve more? The answer, although not necessarily a healthy one, was easy. Sacrifice sleep and stay awake longer. That meant more time to get ahead. And with Starbucks™ and the other up-and-coming coffee houses, the means for this to happen was only a block away. This change in technology and human behavior has been a major reason why sleep related disorders in general have exploded as of late.

      Since the arrival of the information highway, speed has continued to accelerate year after year. Internet speeds have become faster, handheld phones and devices allow constant contact and connectivity, markets have expanded into global commerce, and information has literally exploded. The recent increase in insomnia statistics are undoubtedly related to these social developments in our lifetime. Whether the choice to sleep less has been purposefully made, or whether the anxiety and worry associated with these pressures has triggered the lack of sleep, many people as a result have developed insomnia.

      These pressure-related issues will be addressed along with associated mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. However, some of the tough decisions may be left up to you to make. Managing your sleep more effectively may require not only better sleep behavior, but it may require some decisions about priorities in your life. The purpose of this book is not to guide you in choosing those priorities but simply to point them out so that you can make educated choices along the way. If your goals to attain success justify the loss of sleep and the frustrations associated with this, then that decision is yours to make. Unfortunately, many people fail to pause and think about which priority is truly in line with who they are and what they desire.

      Life’s pace has increased with the advent of internet connectivity and online social networking. What used to take days or weeks now takes seconds or minutes. This increased pace combined with the demand for availability has affected many who are sensitive to such pressures. Unless you are aware of your sensitivity to these pressures and their secondary effects, solutions can be extremely hard to find. Many more will undoubtedly find the pressures of a weakened economy and joblessness as triggers to their chronic insomnia. Now more than ever, paying attention to your sleep habits and behaviors is important.

      Part of the reason medications are prescribed commonly for insomnia is not necessarily because of their effectiveness, but because patients and doctors themselves are pressed for time. Prescribing more time-consuming therapies even though they may be more effective in the long term is less desirable on a daily basis. It is easier to simply write a prescription for a sleep aid. This provides a solution to the problem immediately and thus saves time for both doctor and patient. Unfortunately for many insomniacs, this is not the best or the most healthy treatment for their sleep condition in the long run.

      The Business of Sleep

      Whether you are part of the sleep marketplace or not, treating sleep is big business. In recent statistics, 30 percent of all individuals have periodic insomnia resulting in poor levels of daily function. Approximately 12 percent have chronic insomnia. These are tremendous percentages of people that suffer from poor sleep ability. Approximately three-quarters of those suffering from chronic insomnia never seek medical treatment but instead choose to take over-the-counter medications on a regular basis. And of those who do seek medical attention, most see their primary care specialist rather than a sleep specialist. As a result, the large majority of patients are given a prescription medication instead of a more beneficial sleep treatment plan.

      What do these statistics mean? First, insomniacs spend $4.5 billion annually on sleep medications. Wow! Secondly, medications are known not to be very effective for chronic insomnia, yet are still the primary treatment given to patients. Third, the most effective insomnia treatments are behavioral therapies, but more than 90 percent of primary specialists are unaware of these treatments or techniques. Out of all the people suffering chronic insomnia, a small percentage finds themselves receiving the most appropriate therapies for insomnia.

      Why does this happen? To an extent, society is to blame. Everyone wants a fast solution. Time is money. We like fast food and fast service. Our internet speed has to be lightning fast so we don’t waste any precious time. Our routine healthy exercise has been compressed into 7 minute abs. Test yourself the next time you go to a doctor and see what your own expectation is. If you go in with symptoms of a cold, don’t you expect an antibiotic prescription? Honestly? And likely you will receive one even though the majority of colds are caused by viruses which do not respond to antibiotic treatment.

      Try another little test. In today’s high-pressured healthcare environment, most office visits take about 15 minutes. Some amount of time during the appointment will be allotted for questions about your symptoms and your examination, but the time allotted to treatment discussions are often very brief. Due to time constraints, issues of diet, lifestyle and preventative care often get a brief obligatory mention or are ignored completely. How much time is spent explaining diagnostic testing, medication instructions and medication side effects? Don’t be surprised if less than a minute or two is allotted to preventative care. In order to outline an effective sleep therapy plan, several minutes are needed to explain a good sleep plan and the reasoning behind it. The appointment might run over the allotted appointment time, but most likely the number of appointments needed for your sleep problem will be reduced dramatically.

      While a patient’s expectations are part of the reason for sleep medication use, marketing influences are also a large part. You only have to look as far as the television and internet banners to see advertisements directed to the consumer about the latest and greatest sleep aide. Sales representatives provide constant data and selective research information to physicians touting the benefits of their medications. If these marketing efforts didn’t work, pharmaceutical companies would find other ways to get their message across to prescribing physicians; but the bottom line is that they do work.

      Telling a patient to keep a sleep diary and implement a change in sleep behavior is not nearly as sexy as a new sleep drug presented with images of soothing butterflies or calming colors. Honestly, most physicians are not aware of the marginal statistics with which these medications add benefit. FDA approval for these medications is based on improvements over placebo and safety data, but none of them show tremendous benefit for chronic insomnia. A selective lack of information about sleep medications and a lack of knowledge of more effective treatments often influence recommendations.

      By providing education about the effectiveness of non-medical therapies in treating insomnia both at a patient level and at a clinician level, the hope is that more effective and safer treatments will be practiced. Not only can insomnia be more appropriately treated, but the expenses and harmful side effects of sleep medications can be significantly reduced. And in a nation that struggles over rising healthcare costs, this means more efficient care for everyone.

      What This Book Will and Will Not Cover

      Many sleep problems exist besides insomnia of course. For the most part, these areas of sleep difficulties will not be covered except to the extent that they can present on occasion as an insomnia problem. For example, sleep apnea because of repeated awakenings may present as insomnia though other symptoms should help distinguish it from true insomnia. Outside of these insomnia mimickers, the focus of the book will not attend to the broad spectrum of other sleep disorders.

      However, all aspects of insomnia will be addressed in the chapters of this book. The chapters are organized to help you use the book as a reference depending on what needs you may have at a given time. For some, turning to topics on treatment may be a resource for you immediately, whereas others may want to have a deeper understanding of the basic causes of insomnia. Regardless, the progression of the book allows a gradual understanding to occur from definition, to causation, to categorization, to treatment.

      By reading each chapter, the description of the available therapies, including medications, will make more sense. Explanations

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1