It’s Barnaby, and unfortunately I have returned. Not that I didn’t miss all the wonderful feedback from the readers of CantSleep.com — but I had thought I had put my trouble sleeping to bed once and for all (no pun intended). For around two weeks, Valerian was working perfectly — but, to my dismay, last weekend I once again had trouble sleeping. I at first chalked it up to a temporary relapse into insomnia, but after tossing and turning the entirety of last night I realized my trouble sleeping has returned with a vengeance. I’ve previously enumerated here at CantSleep my search for the root cause of my insomnia — to no avail. My sleep apnea test came back negative, I don’t suffer from depression and I’ve severely limited my consumption of caffeine and alcohol since my trouble sleeping began several months ago.
I thought I had found the magic bullet to cure my trouble sleeping with Valerian — but alas, that was too good to be true. Well, I’m going to have to delve back into my insomnia research and unfortunately start again appointments with specialists in my seemingly never-ending quest for a good night’s sleep. I shall keep everyone updated on my sleep (or lack thereof).
Barnaby here. On a sour note, my sleep travails remain unabated. The past week has only allowed me one decent night’s sleep in between quite a few nights of tossing and turning. Instead of complaining about my own sleep issues, I wanted to start an important discussion about clinical depression. Once you recognize the signs of clinical depression, what are the best depression treatments? The answer to that question depends upon the nature of your individual case, and a full diagnosis and treatment regimen can only be devised by a qualified mental health care provider. Some who are diagnosed with clinical depression receive depression treatments including psychotherapy and group therapy as opposed to medications. As the above video illustrates, the future might hold gene treatment which can treat — or even prevent — clinical depression. However, for now, therapy and pharmaceuticals remain the salient depression treatments.
The majority of those with the disorder receive depression treatments including anti-depressants and/or mood stabilizers. These pharmacological depression treatments have been shown to be highly effective, and today’s depression treatment drugs have far fewer side effects than those of past times. It is important to remain cognizant that none of these treatment solutions provide for an overnight cure. It is paramount to stay the course with your prescribed depression treatments, and retain hope that there will be sunnier days. I’ll be back here at CantSleep again soon. I’d like to thank everyone who has sent in suggestions, tips and sympathies regarding my nagging insomnia. Hopefully I’ll have good news to post soon!
Clinical depression is a serious condition which afflicts a substantial number of us, yet many are unable to recognize the symptoms of clinical depression. Everyone has occasion to feel “depressed” or sad — that is a part of the human condition. However, those afflicted with clinical depression experience these emotions with severe intensity and for extended periods of time. This often leads to dysfunction, and in the worst circumstances to suicide. There are effective treatments for clinical depression, but without first recognizing the symptoms of clinical depression they can not be used.
Clinical depression expresses itself differently within various people. Common symptoms of clinical depression include extended feelings of hopelessness or helplessness. More subtle symptoms of clinical depression include the inability to make decisions, forgetfulness and lack of concentration. Obviously, many of us experience these symptoms occasionally as a part of everyday life, however, when they become pronounced and chronic it might point to a diagnosis of clinical depression. Another facet within symptoms of clinical depression is a loss of interest in hobbies, work — or even sex.
Clinical depression has been tied to insomnia, and the inability to fall asleep could be a symptom of clinical depression. Your appetite can also be a telltale when it comes to clinical depression. Either sudden weight loss, or alternatively weight gain, can both be symptoms of clinical depression. Most all of these symptoms can also be associated with other conditions — or just be a phase not relating to any disease at all. In the end, only a qualified professional can make an accurate diagnosis of clinical depression. However, it is up to you to notice the initial signs and know when possible symptoms of clinical depression are present warranting further examination.
Narcolepsy is an insidious condition which embodies itself in the form of excessive daytime sleepiness. This can entail drowsiness throughout the day, or even falling asleep at the most inappropriate of times. Those afflicted with narcolepsy can suddenly fall asleep even when in the middle of a conversation. Just like with insomniacs, those with narcolepsy have trouble getting a full night’s sleep. Consequently, many times narcolepsy is erroneously diagnosed as insomnia upon initial examinations. Although much about narcolepsy is not yet understood, scientists do know that those suffering from it enter REM sleep much faster than does the typical person.
REM stands for rapid eye movement, and it is associated with the deepest stages of sleep. Most dreams that you are able to recall with detail occur during REM sleep. Normally, a person enters REM sleep approximately 90 minutes after first falling asleep. Those with narcolepsy enter REM within 10 minutes of falling asleep. Research has definitively shown that narcolepsy is not a mental illness nor a psychological condition. It is a neurological ailment which can wreck havoc within the lives of those who suffer from it. However, research has quantified that those with narcolepsy do not have shorter life spans as a result.
Scientists aren’t certain, but they believe that narcolepsy is a genetic condition. Treatment regimens for narcolepsy are highly personalized — what works for one person might not work for another. Most treatments currently center on pharmaceuticals, and although there is no cure, many with narcolepsy are able to manage the condition using current treatment regimens.
Hi everyone — Barnaby here again. It’s been a few days since I’ve shared my ongoing insomnia saga with you, my apologies for that. Suffice to say, things have not gotten any better. The other day when I lasted posted I was about to try sleeping pills one more time. As feared, that was a disaster. No nightmares this time, but after getting a few hour’s worth of sleep I was completely dysfunctional. I even had to stay home from work and miss and important staff meeting which didn’t go over well with my boss whatsoever. This prompted my wife to insist that I see yet another doctor, and this one wants me to have a sleep apnea test. My previous research led me to believe that sleep apnea was not the cause of my insomnia, but this doctor wants to rule it out for sure.
Sleep apnea is a condition where you stop breathing for short (or sometimes longer up to 30 seconds) periods. This causes you to awaken while gasping for breath — obviously not conducive to a good night’s sleep. Last night I got around 3 hours of sleep in total — which is around average over the past several weeks since my insomnia first started. I am almost hoping that the sleep apnea test comes back positive — at least then I’ll know what the issue is. The doctor told me that the official name for this test is polysomnography. It involves monitoring my breathing and vital statistics while (if) I sleep. I have to spend tonight at the clinic where they’ll hook me up to this machine and record all of my movements.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to sleep at all while hooked up to all those wires. The doctor assured me that a sleep apnea test is completely painless, so I’m not worried. Suz offered to spend the night at the clinic, but they advised against it. She has been really supportive during my insomnia crisis, I really don’t know what I’d do without her. Well, I’m not sure whether to ask you to root for me to pass or fail the test. Sleep apnea sounds scary, but at least there are cures and I can solve my sleep issues once and for all. I’ll update everyone once I get the test results.
Well, it didn’t last long. After sleeping like a baby last night, here I am again at 1:45am sitting out on our deck. After almost 3 hours of tossing and turning I decided to let Suz sleep in peace. I’m pretty sure she woke up when I got out of bed, and it’ll cause her to worry once again. She was so elated after my full night’s sleep yesterday, I was tempted to pretend to sleep the night through just to avoid her concern. But I needed some fresh air — lying in that bed sleeplessly any longer was going to drive me crazy.
When insomnia first hit me several weeks ago I thought it was a temporary thing, and I turned to over the counter sleep aids. I’m not a big fan of taking pills, but I read up on them and for occasional use most every authoritative site I researched said that they were ok. However, for me — they weren’t. For some reason, over the counter sleep aids caused me horrific nightmares — so bad that I’d awake screaming scaring the heck out of my wife and kids. Also, for the entire next day after I took sleeping pills I was incredibly dazed, fatigued and confused. It was even worse than after being up the whole night without any sleep at all. Also, for almost a day after taking over the counter sleep aids I couldn’t drink enough water — no matter how much I drank my mouth remained bone dry.
I tried both types of over the counter sleep aids — those containing Diphenhydramine and ones containing Doxylamine. Neither were good, but the second type did not produce side effects as severe as the first. Right now, I’m so disappointed that my insomnia returned after a beautiful night’s sleep last night that I’m willing to try an over the counter sleep aid again. I’m going to try a different brand containing Doxylamine than I tried initially a few weeks ago, and I really hope it works. I really need at least a few hours of sleep tonight, or I’m going to be completely worthless at tomorrow’s (or today’s I should say now that it is 2:00am) staff meeting. There is a 24 hour drugstore a few blocks down the street — surely the over the counter sleep aids aisle will be a lively place at 2am. Maybe I can make some new insomniac friends.
Part of me is scared that pills will work ok for me — most of what I read warns about how addictive they can be. Assuming they can work for me — what road will that lead down? I really wanted to stay away from pills, but as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men…..
Barnaby here again. Hopefully I didn’t bore you too much rambling on about my life and my family during my sleepless hours last night. I’m here at the office now, and I’m beyond tired. It’s hard to describe the feeling. I can’t focus, my entire body feels fatigued — which is the way I’ve felt all day everyday since my insomnia suddenly emerged a few weeks ago. So I’m sitting here staring at blank sheet of paper which should be a fully written proposal which is due by the end of the day. I won’t bore you with the tedious details of my job, but I’m a consultant specializing in helping firms obtain state contracts. A relatively lucrative contract is being bid out by one of our core clients, and I was assigned the task of responding to their RFP. It should be mostly complete — yet I’m not more than 25% done. Maintaining focus on it is nearly impossible.
I’m on my 5th cup of coffee and it is only just after 10:00am — still, it isn’t helping. This happened with another project last week, and I was lucky enough to be able to pull it off at the last moment. However, today I’m scared I won’t be that lucky and it is stressing me out. Insomnia stress is one of the worst side effects of being unable to sleep, and the stresses which ensue from insomnia only make it more difficult to sleep — hence, a vicious circle. Not only does the insomnia itself cause me stress — but insomnia stress is exacerbated by additional stress emanating from predicaments caused by the lack of sleep — like my unfinished RFP.
I have 7 hours to get this work done — wish me luck.
Manic depression is touching my soul
I know what I want but I just don’t know
How to, go about gettin’ it
Feeling sweet feeling,
Drops from my fingers, fingers
Manic depression is catchin’ my soul
-Jimi Hendrix, “Manic Depression”
Everyone has occasion to feel sad, lonely or “depressed”. This is normal, and it has always been a component of human life. However, some of us experience these feelings with great intensity, or for extended periods of time, such that it becomes what is classified as “clinical depression”. When left untreated, clinical depression can be debilitating and, in the worst circumstances, can lead to suicide. In fact, over 10% of those with untreated clinical depression commit suicide. Consequently, recognizing clinical depression symptoms becomes imperative in order to effectuate treatment before the more serious outcomes can manifest themselves. Clinical depression symptoms are wide ranging, and they are often hard to discern unless you are vigilantly looking out for them.
Our sleep patterns are a major telltale when it comes to diagnosing clinical depression. Changes in sleep are among the most salient clinical depression symptoms, and this can be on either end of the spectrum — sudden insomnia or constant fatigue and oversleeping. Changes in sleep habits in either direction can indicate clinical depression, and this is especially true when they occur parallel to other clinical depression symptoms. Daytime fatigue and inability to concentrate are related clinical depression symptoms. Signs like this are often subtle, and they can be written off as just being overworked or otherwise stressed. Irritability and restlessness also constitute depression signs and symptoms, and they likewise are often mistakenly attributed to things other than clinical depression.
A sudden change in outlook can also be one of the signs of clinical depression. This most often takes the form of overwhelming pessimism, feelings of hopelessness, pangs of guilt and constant restlessness and/or anxiety. Again, these reactions are entirely appropriate at certain junctures of life — but a healthy individual will quickly recover from them whereas those suffering from clinical depression will not. Duration of the apparent clinical depression symptoms is most often what differentiates normal cycles of life from a depression diagnosis. Loss of interest in work, hobbies or even sex are also clinical depression symptoms. Changes in eating patterns, which can include either sudden weight gain or alternatively weight loss, can occur within the context of clinical depression.
The most concerning clinical depression symptoms surround fixation with death or other morbid events. Constant discussion of death — especially within the context of an escape — is a very serious sign of depression which warrants immediate treatment. Overwhelming feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. which result in desiring an escape even as drastic as death, are prototypical clinical depression symptoms — and those experiencing them should take the potentially life-saving step of seeking treatment from a mental health professional.
Are you noticing food missing from your kitchen upon awakening? Are there unexplained crumbs on your sleepwear? If so, you might be a sleep eater. Although this condition sounds quite strange — it is absolutely real. Some experts classify sleep eating as a sleep disorder, whereas others view it as a combination sleep and eating disorder. Needless to say, this condition is not conducive to dieting, and it can be quite dangerous should kitchen appliances be used while asleep. The official name for this condition is sleep-related eating disorder (NS-RED), and those who suffer from it exhibit the same pathology as typical sleepwalkers.
Sleep eating can obviously prove to be a great detriment to getting a full night’s sleep, and most who suffer from it have no idea it is even happening. Those who exhibit this behavior often have parallel anxiety, emotional distress or other underlying condition. Sleep eating usually entails the consumption of high-fat foods, and sleep eaters often experience unexplained sudden weight gain. Injuries have also been reported from using hot cooking surfaces or knives when in a sleep-like state. Consequently, it is imperative to ascertain whether you are prone to sleep eating — and if so, get appropriate treatment immediately.
Treatment for sleep eating most usually focuses on attacking the underlying condition causing it. In some cases, pharmaceuticals such as Mirapex can prove helpful, although psychotherapy is also recommended consequent to any medication regimen. Sleep eating is quite rare — estimates are that between 1% and 3% of us suffer from it. However, that still translates to potentially over 10 million people in the United States exhibiting this behavior — if you are one of them it is imperative to seek professional guidance sooner rather than later. Alleviating yourself of sleep eating will help fight insomnia as well as your growing waist line — in some circumstances it can also save your life.
While everyone experiences insomnia to some degree, those who have chronic insomnia feel there is no cure for them. Before one can cure the condition it’s essential to find the underlying cause. There are many reasons people have insomnia and in varying degrees. Some people have trouble falling asleep while others have trouble staying asleep. The cause of the sleeplessness varies from person to person but before you can begin to treat the condition you must evaluate and analyze the cause. While there are many different things that may contribute to insomnia, the ten must common causes are as follows:
Inconsistent sleep patterns. For good sleep it’s important to go to sleep and wake up at approximately the same time every day. Many people have a tendency to stay up extremely late and wake up extremely late on their days off which disrupts their normal sleep patterns.
Eating heavy meals too close to bedtime. Your body needs time to complete the digestive process, and if you eat your dinner too close to bedtime you will have trouble falling asleep. While work schedules may sometimes affect this process, especially those who may work both a full-time and part-time job without a break in between, eating late will definitely have a detrimental effect on your ability to fall asleep.
Going to bed hungry. This is something many people attempt to do, especially when they are trying to lose weight, and it is one of the worst things you can do for sleep quality. Many people read the advice of stars who say they don’t eat after 6 p.m. and think it is the perfect solution. Instead of trying to go to bed hungry and not be able to sleep, try having a small high energy snack. Serotonin is believed to be a natural sleep aid and is present in many chocolate products—you don’t have to sacrifice your diet but have a small cup of sugar free chocolate pudding or sugar free hot chocolate.
Going to bed exhausted. While it seems to make sense to wait until you are tired to go to bed, you don’t wait to wait until you are completely exhausted or you will have trouble going to sleep.
Getting too many sleep aids.
Smoking
Overuse of caffeine
Temperature in room too hot or too cold
Inability to relax after going to bed
Lack of exercise. While you don’t want to do too much close to bedtime, a little bit of light exercise can actual relax you and help you fall asleep. It can be something as mild as just take a ten or fifteen minute walk outside.
While people may have other reasons they have difficulty sleeping, these are the most common reasons and the ones easiest to address. Some people have chronic insomnia that is related to health conditions or medications they must take; it’s difficult to control those causes. However, if you work on some of the other causes you can at least reduce some of the bouts of insomnia that your health conditions and medications cause.
There are a huge amount of sleep aids on the market today. When picking a sleep aid there are three categories to pick from. One is available only by prescription, the second choice is to use an over the counter sleep aid while others are at your nearest health food store. Only you and/or your doctor can help to decide which sleep aid is right for you.
Prescription medications that help you get to sleep include Lunesta, Rozerem, Halcion, Ambien and Sonata. Medications that help you stay asleep are Estazdam, Lunesta, Restoril, Ambien CR. These are really more of a last resort for someone with prolonged insomnia. Side effects may include dizziness, headache, sleep-driving, severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face, as well as possible prolonged drowsiness.
The next best possible sleep aids are over the counter medications. Diphenhydramia, is the key ingredient in medications such as Nytol, Sominex and Unisom. These have very few side effects. It is possible to become addicted to any sleep aid, whether a prescription or over the counter drug.
Getting out of the drug thought process, try using herbs to help you sleep. A cup of chamomile tea before bed helps to relax your mind and your muscles. You may also want to try valerian root which reduces the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep as well as increasing the quality of your sleep. This should be taken approximately 1 hour before bedtime. Valerian root takes 2-3 weeks for the user to receive it’s full effects. Do not use it longer than 3 months. Consult a health professional before using this herb if you take prescription medications. Other items are lavender, which is a known stress reliever as well as St.John’s Wort which is known to help with depression. If your insomnia is due to depression then this herbal supplement would help a great deal. Another supplement recommended by herbalists is melatonin. Melatonin is a natural substance inside our bodies that help to control your internal clock. It can be taken in pill form. It is great for jet lag or if you work odd hours at work. Melatonin should be taken within 30 minutes of bedtime and be used for less than three months. Doctors say that caution should be used with this her if you suffer from depression or an autoimmune disease. All of these herbs can be found in health food stores as well as in some grocery stores.
A truly all natural way to induce sleep is through food. Ingesting Tryptaphan, most commonly found in turkey meat, causes increased levels in serotonin which transforms into melatonin. This type of response also occurs when eating complex carbohydrates such as whole grain breads or whole grain crackers.
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