Battling Insomnia 7/8/12

“I find it very hard to fall asleep.” “When I finally do fall asleep. I maybe sleep two or three hours. Then I’m up.” “Why can’t I sleep? I’m so tired. I know I’ve got to be up with the kids in the morning.” The number one reason we can’t sleep is, not surprisingly, work-related stress, followed by health problems and financial difficulties. That according to a Consumer Reports survey of more than 26-thousand of its subscribers. Elissa Schuler-Adair, “Problem sleepers suffered on average 12 years.” Consumer Reports also asked people what helps them “sleep tighter.” Medications are at the top of the list. Those polled said over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol PM, Advil PM, and Nyquil were helpful – though not the best. “40 percent of respondents said they helped a lot, compared to the newer prescription sleep medications like Ambien and its generic zolpidem. Those scored at 70 percent.” But a serious drawback – a significant number of people were overusing prescription drugs – taking them at least 27 of the past 30 nights. Elissa Schuler-Adair, “Most of them are approved for at max 10 days. And there are concerns about using them for longer just because of rebound insomnia, dependency, and side effects like next-day grogginess.” Given these drawbacks, alternative therapies like yoga and meditation are worth considering. At least a quarter of those who tried alternative treatments found they helped. .”