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importance of sleep...

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Golam Kibria:
How to get a good night sleep:


According to sleep researchers, a night's sleep is divided into five continually shifting stages, defined by types of brain waves that reflect either lighter or deeper sleep. Toward morning, there is an increase in rapid eye movement, or REM sleep, when the muscles are relaxed and dreaming occurs, and recent memories may be consolidated in the brain. The experts say that hitting a snooze alarm over and over again to wake up is not the best way to feel rested. “The restorative value of rest is diminished, especially when the increments are short,” said psychologist Edward Stepanski, PhD who has studied sleep fragmentation at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. This on and off again effect of dozing and waking causes shifts in the brain-wave patterns. Sleep-deprived snooze-button addicts are likely to shorten their quota of REM sleep, impairing their mental functioning during the day. (New York Times, October 12, 2004)

Certain therapies, like cognitive behavioral therapy teach people how to recognize and change patterns of thought and behavior to solve their problems. Recently this type of therapy has been shown to be very effective in getting people to fall asleep and conquer insomnia.

According to a study published in the October 2004 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, cognitive behavior therapy is more effective and lasts longer than a widely used sleeping pill, Ambien, in reducing insomnia. The study involved 63 healthy people with insomnia who were randomly assigned to receive Ambien, the cognitive behavior therapy, both or a placebo. The patients in the therapy group received five 30-minute sessions over six weeks. They were given daily exercises to “recognize, challenge and change stress-inducing” thoughts and were taught techniques, like delaying bedtime or getting up to read if they were unable to fall asleep after 20 minutes. The patients taking Ambien were on a full dose for a month and then were weaned off the drug. At three weeks, 44 percent of the patients receiving the therapy and those receiving the combination therapy and pills fell asleep faster compared to 29 percent of the patients taking only the sleeping pills. Two weeks after all the treatment was over, the patients receiving the therapy fell asleep in half the time it took before the study and only 17 percent of the patients taking the sleeping pills fell asleep in half the time. (New York Times, October 5, 2004)

According to leading sleep researchers, there are techniques to combat common sleep problems:

   * Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule

   * Don’t drink or eat caffeine four to six hours before bed and minimize daytime use

    *Don’t smoke, especially near bedtime or if you awake in the night

    *Avoid alcohol and heavy meals before sleep

    *Get regular exercise

    *Minimize noise, light and excessive hot and cold temperatures where you sleep

    *Develop a regular bed time and go to bed at the same time each night

    *Try and wake up without an alarm clock

    *Attempt to go to bed earlier every night for certain period; this will ensure that you’re getting enough sleep

Source : http://www.apa.org/topics/sleep/why.aspx#

bipasha:
veryy nice article about sleeping

Masuma Parvin:
Thanks for your informative post.

poppy siddiqua:
thanks for the useful discussion.

sharifa:
This information is helpful for the insomnia patient. Thanks

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