Hi everyone,

I just wanted to pop back over and clarify what seems to be a point of confusion. Many CantSleep readers appear to be in search of a singular “test” which definitely shows if you have insomnia, and if so, what the root cause of it is. Unfortunately, there is no such test. If there was, my own insomnia would have been assuaged months ago. However, there are tests which can identify — or rule out — some specific causes of insomnia. Most salient of these is a sleep apnea test. Sleep apnea can be definitively identified via a sleep apnea test. These tests are administered by professionals, and oftentimes you must spend the entire evening being monitored (I have gone through this myself). In my case, the sleep apnea test came back negative. However, there is no test to determine what truly is the cause of my particular sleep issues.

Insomnia can arise from a variety of causes. Some of these are physical, while others are mental. Stress can trigger bouts of insomnia, and depression has been identified as a main cause behind many cases of chronic insomnia. As indicated, physical conditions like sleep apnea can be the root cause of sleep problems. Unfortunately, there is no one easy test which can ascertain whether the cause of a particular case of insomnia is due to physical or mental issues. Many seem to confuse what they read about a sleep apnea test interpreting it as being a generic test for insomnia.

So, in terms of my own sleep problems — I have been continuing with my hypnotherapy with my great therapist, Sharon. I am beginning to notice improvements, and several of the past nights have been pretty much insomnia-free. Sleep is coming back into my life and it is a great feeling. Hopefully some of you reading this now can soon find the relief that I think I have come upon. I’ll provide further updates soon,

Barnaby

Greetings CantSleep readers,

There are now a plethora of sources for insomnia information, but, unfortunately, many provide less than objective advice. These days, when seeking information most turn to the Internet — and the volumes of information on the Internet ensure almost every question can be answered. However, within this voluminous information there exists myths, confusion and even outright falsehoods. Some websites purporting to convey insomnia information exist solely for the purpose of selling you a specific product — whether you need it or not. For example, a given source for insomnia information might say that sleep apnea is always the cause of chronic insomnia, and then they subsequently try to sell you a CPAP mask. The truth is that only a small portion of those with sleep problems truly have sleep apnea, and that the particular site was misleading you solely for the purpose of parting you with your hard earned money.

This phenomenon is salient within all arenas of knowledge conveyed over the Internet, however, within the realm of insomnia information it is especially prominent. Consequently, readers need to be especially discriminating — and skeptical — when seeking health information online. There exists several reputable sources which are universally recognized as providing objective information. However, these sites usually cover a wide range of health topics and give short shrift to insomnia information. Sources like CantSleep.com focus solely on insomnia information, and one of the reasons I felt comfortable sharing my story here is that you can easily see CantSleep isn’t pushing a diagnosis on anyone or suggesting that one form of treatment is better than another. The bottom line is, when seeking insomnia information digest what you read with a large grain of salt.

Barnaby

Hi everyone, it’s Barnaby here with a word about sleep information on the Internet:

Websites about insomnia, sleep apnea and a variety of other sleep information now proliferate the Internet. While many sites like WebMD and CantSleep.com offer accurate and objective information, others exist solely to promote a given product as opposed to providing reliable sleep information. Those seeking sleep information are often doing so because of signs of insomnia, sleep apnea, clinical depression as well as several other potentially serious medical conditions. In this scenario, accurate and objective sleep information becomes quite important. What is also important is to remember that only a qualified health care provider can diagnosis and prescribe treatment for your particular condition.

Seeking to self-treat from sleep information obtained on the Internet can prove counterproductive, and — in many cases — quite costly. Some less than reputable websites providing sleep information end up selling you expensive, yet ineffective solutions to your particular problem. In the worst cases, those who rely upon faulty sleep information obtained online fail to get the real help they so desperately need. One reason that I agreed to write for CantSleep.com is that I noticed they never pushed a given product or treatment. I have been impressed with the large amount of objective and helpful sleep information provided by CantSleep, and I hope to do my small part by contributing my story which I hope will help both myself as well as my fellow CantSleep readers.

Catch everyone soon,

Barnaby

Rem Sleep Explained

I really think “rem sleep” is a buzz word people like to throw around like synergy and decentralization in a corporate environment. But what exactly is this type of sleep? I did my research and I am going to explain it to you. First you must understand that many parts of the body remain surprisingly active while we sleep and this fact is especially true for the brain and the eyes. The different stages of sleep repeat themselves in quick succession and the REM stage time increases with advancement of sleep cycles.

Understanding The Different Stages Of Sleep

Contrary to common perception, our body just does not shut down when we go off to sleep but undergoes different sleep stages in quick intervals. The brain controls the sleep cycle and the eyes are the major body organs which respond to the endless stream of signals being generated by the brain.

In a normal sleep cycle you will experience 5 stages in succession. These 5 stages have been broadly categorized into two groups or types of sleep. The first four stages comprise the first group and this group is commonly known as NREM or non rapid eye movement sleep. The second group comprises of the last stage and is known as REM or rapid eye movement sleep.

REM and NREM differ in terms of brain activity mostly. REM is accompanied by involuntary rise in heart beat, blood pressure and breathing and negligible muscle activity. NREM comprises the first two thirds of the sleep and REM comprises the last third.

4 stages of sleep

Stage 1 in NREM is the time when you actually start feeling drowsy and start drifting in and out of sleep. You lose muscle control gradually and eye movements slow down considerably. Sudden muscle contraction is quite common.

Stage 2 is almost half of your total sleep time. Eye movements drop completely, heart and brain activity lulls and the body temperature drops.

Stage 3 is quite similar to stage 4 in terms of body response and muscle activity. The brain waves are very slow during this time and there is absolutely no body movement. REM sleep is interspersed in different stages of sleep and has no correct order of appearance. REM repeats itself in every sleep cycle gradually increasing in time. Starting at 10 minutes in first sleep cycle and ending up at 1 hour in the sleep cycle just before you wake up.

Stage 4 The brain produces delta waves almost exclusively. Stages 3 and 4 are referred to as deep sleep. In deep sleep, you have no muscle or eye activity and waking someone up when they are in this stage is next to impossible. These stages are usually when you experience “peeing the bed”, walking in your sleep or night terrors.

I hope this helps, it helped me understand more!

Brydon