Sleep Efficiency (SE) is the percentage of total time in bed that you are actually asleep. Those with clinical insomnia usually spend more and more time in bed trying to sleep but not sleeping, and their Sleep Efficiency drops below 85%. Effective training includes sleep compression and restriction, stimulus control, and changing your thought patterns (see CBTi). If you are … [Read more...]
Couples Sleeping
There’s not much beyond snoring complaints that’s been written about sleep problems of couples, or families or groups, for that matter. Couples present subtle and complex sleep issues. Of course there are problems with one lark and one owl, as well as with couples on different shifts. Some couples begin sleeping apart when instead they might have been able to work out a win … [Read more...]
A New Sleep Medication – Belsomra
A new medication for insomnia, Belsomra (made by Merck) has been approved by the FDA and should be available later this year. It is the first available drug to block orexin circuits in the brain. Orexin is one of several neurotransmitters which turn on the sleep-wake switch in the brain. Orexin tends to be low or missing in narcolepsy. Belsomra (generic name suvorexant) … [Read more...]
Why a Sleep Advocate?
Sleep is disrespected: It is a bad habit. It wastes time. It prevents flexible schedules. Robots don’t need to sleep. I’ll catch up on the weekend--I only need four hours. Sleep is for sissies. Let’s pull an all-nighter. Over the past ten years, I began to hear more and more of these attitudes in my psychiatric practice. I saw more people in my waiting room who had to be … [Read more...]