For single parent families, sleep is incredibly important. SleepTonight campaign is designed to educate the public about the negative impact insomnia can have on personal health and quality of life.
What is SleepTonight?
| Author: David Westerman MD DABSM | Posted: 07/11/09 | ||
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The SleepTonight campaign is designed to educate the public about the negative impact insomnia can have on personal health and quality of life and to motivate people who experience insomnia to speak with a doctor about ways to manage insomnia so they can get the sleep they need.
The campaign web site, www.sleeptonight.com, includes helpful lifestyle tips as well as information about medications currently available to help treat insomnia. The Web site also includes an interactive game focused on the science of sleep.
What Causes Insomnia?
Stress, especially in today’s economy, is the most common cause of sleeping difficulties. For single parents in particular, job- and family-related pressures can be common triggers of stress and may lead to sleeping difficulties. Other factors that can trigger insomnia, as Dr. Westerman mentioned, are behaviors like drinking caffeinated beverages too close to bedtime or even a person's bedroom environment, like too much light.
For your reference, all of these common triggers for insomnia can be found on the following page of the SleepTonight Web site: http://sleeptonight.com/understandingInsomnia/nightly-pillow-fight.html
How is Insomnia Treated?
Lifestyle Tips
There are ways help manage insomnia. Lifestyle changes can be implemented to help get a good night's rest. For example, writing down thoughts/worries before bed can help free people's minds and put them more at ease before bed. It is also important for people to establish soothing rituals before going to bed, such as taking a warm bath or listening to soft music, as these tactics can help put an individual's mind at ease and promote sleep.
For more lifestyle tips, please refer to http://sleeptonight.com/knowYourOptions/forget-lullabies.html
Treatment Options
There are several treatment options available for insomnia, but, not all sleep aids work the same way, so it’s very important to talk to a doctor to understand how each particular sleep aid works and its potential benefits and risks.
One point we thought you and your readers might find interesting is that the brain produces a variety of natural chemicals that keep us awake and alert during the day and relaxed and sleepy at night. Adrenaline is an example of a chemical that keeps the brain "activated," while GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) is a chemical in the brain that is responsible for allowing us to sleep. Like a puzzle piece, GABA latches on to specific targets in the brain called receptors to "deactivate" the effects of the chemicals that keep us awake and prepare the body for sleep.
The SleepTonight Web site includes an animated graphic to help people visualize the science behind sleep: http://sleeptonight.com/understandingInsomnia/what-is-gaba.html
A number of sleep medications work by increasing the action of GABA to help people sleep. However, even though these sleep aids work with GABA, they work differently. Overall, it is very important that people talk with their doctor to find out what lifestyle options and/or treatments might be right for them. We all deserve a good night's sleep!
David Westerman, M.D., D. ABSM is the director of the Atlanta Pulmonary Group Center for Sleep Disorders and a faculty member for the Atlanta, San Diego, and San Antonio courses at the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and Technology.
A pulmonologist and sleep specialist, Dr. Westerman hails from Capetown, South Africa. He completed a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at Tufts New England Medical Center, Boston and holds board certifications in pulmonary medicine, critical care and sleep medicine. For more than a decade, Dr. Westerman’s engaging teaching style has earned accolades from physicians and technicians in courses ranging from introductory level to board preparation.
