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!
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.
The vast majority of us experience at least occasional insomnia — rare is the individual who can quickly and easily fall asleep every night. Everyday stresses, big upcoming events or excess caffeine can all be insomnia causes, and periodic bouts of it can be easily treated with lifestyle changes or over-the-counter sleeping pills. However, some suffer chronic insomnia which can prove to be a serious impediment to leading an active life. Chronic insomnia causes can be biological, psychological or environmental. Identifying the insomnia causes behind your sleepless nights is the most important first step allowing for selection of the correct treatment regimen.
Within the psychological realm of insomnia causes are anxiety, stress and depression. Those who suffer from depression often have chronic insomnia as a symptom which creates a vicious circle of the lack of sleep further exacerbating the depression. Psychological conditions which contribute to insomnia can often be treated by therapy or pharmaceuticals. Biological insomnia causes can include underlying conditions and diseases which prevent a full nights sleep. Sleep apnea is a prominent biological insomnia cause, and this condition can be treated with a variety of techniques.
Environmental insomnia causes can be as simple as an uncomfortable bed or pillow, or sleeping conditions which are noisy or not sufficiently dark. Addressing these environmental insomnia causes is often quite easy, and simple behavior changes can do the trick. Some behaviors like excessive caffeine consumption can contribute to biological insomnia causes, and this also can be addressed by changing the offending behavior. Although insomnia has many causes, the net result for all sufferers include daytime drowsiness, inability to concentrate and poor school or work performance. Consequently, identifying the insomnia causes behind your particular case is critical in order to prevent these often debilitating effects of insomnia.
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.
The vast majority of us experience at least occasional insomnia — rare is the individual who can quickly and easily fall asleep every night. Everyday stresses, big upcoming events or excess caffeine can all be insomnia causes, and periodic bouts of it can be easily treated with lifestyle changes or over-the-counter sleeping pills. However, some suffer chronic insomnia which can prove to be a serious impediment to leading an active life. Chronic insomnia causes can be biological, psychological or environmental. Identifying the insomnia causes behind your sleepless nights is the most important first step allowing for selection of the correct treatment regimen.
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