Getting a good night's sleep

You know the story: It’s 5:00 A.M. , and the first traces of dawn have begun to appear in the nighttime sky. You’ve been awake since 2:00 A.M. and are beginning to feel hopeless. How will you function at work tomorrow (make that today)? How will you cope with your presentation at the board meeting? How will you make it through another day after yet another night without sleep?

2007 Publications International, Ltd.
Insomnia is the most common sleep
disorder in North America and Europe.

Adults need an average of seven to nine hours of sleep a night, but insomnia can keep them from getting the sleep they need. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in North America and Europe. A whopping one-third of the U.S. population cannot sleep well enough to function well during the day. Half of those people have only one or two bad nights a week. The other half spend countless sleepless nights tossing and turning, feeling miserable. They also spend countless days exhausted.

One example is when people wake up out of what seems like a deep sleep and feel wide awake. They think that because they feel so alert that they will never be able to get back to sleep. However, this is not the case. The key is to understand that your awakening is natural and that you just have to wait it out. Another instance of mistaken perception is that when people wake, they often have the feeling that they were never asleep at all. But most people sleep much longer than they think.

Insomnia can have a significant impact on your health. People with insomnia are

• Four times more likely to be diagnosed with depression.
• More likely to have a serious illness, including heart disease.
• More likely to have an accident on the job, at home, or on the road.
• More likely to miss work and accomplish less on the job than well-rested coworkers.

Insomnia is also one of the least-understood sleep disorders. However, sleep experts have come up with many tried-and-true ways to relieve insomnia. The results of their work appear in the remedies on the next pages. Try them out, and see what works for you.

If they don’t help, consult your doctor for a recommendation for a sleep clinic near you, or contact the National Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org or 202-347-3472) for a referral to a sleep specialist.

But you may be surprised at the simple steps you can take to get a good night’s sleep. Move on to the next section to learn home remedies to treat insomnia.

For more information about treating conditions related to sleep, try the following links:

• To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
• To see all of our herbal remedies, visit our main Herbal Remedies page.
• Learn the basics about sleep by reading How Sleep Works .
• Home Remedies for Restless Legs Syndrome gives tips on treating nighttime twitching legs .
• Those suffering from insomnia are at a greater risk for developing depression. Read more about depression at Home Remedies for Depression .

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

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