ISSUE #72 cont'd -- Medications

Peaceful Retreat Cove, Galiano Island, BC
Caer Weber

It's been a while since I've written about medications. Last time I was talking about anti-anxiety medications. I began in issue #40 August 10, 2011 focusing on the definition of anxiety, a description of anxiety disorders, what an anti-anxiety medication does, and "Do I Need An Anti-Anxiety Medication?" as well as how long medications take to work.

Issue #47 (August 17, 2011) I wrote about the different types of anti-anxiety medications, then followed up with their side effects and the safety risks of taking them.

So now I am writing about other options besides anti-anxiety medications. I'm breaking this part down in more depth and today I'm writing about sleep and its effect on our mental and physical health.

Sleep
I don’t know about you but if I don’t get enough sleep my day is shot. I tend to be more emotional, often depressed and everything is harder to deal with. If I’m tired my thoughts can get seriously distorted (see the posts on cognitive distortions if you don’t know what I’m talking about).

Okay, Wikipedia defines sleep as “a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than being in hibernation or a coma. Sleep is also a heightened anabolic state, accentuating the growth and rejuvenation of the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems. ...

“The purposes and mechanisms of sleep are only partially clear and are the subject of intense research. Sleep is often thought to help conserve energy, but actually decreases metabolism only about 5 – 10%.”

As far as how much sleep we need Wikipedia says “The optimal amount of sleep is not a meaningful concept unless the timing of that sleep is seen in relation to an individual’s circadian rhythms. A person’s major sleep episode is relatively inefficient and inadequate when it occurs at the “wrong” time of day; one should be asleep at least six hours before the lowest body temperature. The timing is correct when the following two circadian markers occur after the middle of the sleep episode and before awakening:

-  maximum concentration of the hormone melatonin, and

-  minimum core body temperature

“Human sleep needs can vary by age and among individuals, and sleep is considered to be adequate when there is no daytime sleepiness or dysfunction.”

What are the effects of not enough sleep?

-  irritability
-  cognitive impairment
-  memory lapses or loss
-  impaired moral judgement
-  severe yawning
-  hallucinations
-  symptoms similar to ADHD – so difficulty concentrating, easily distracted, etc.
-  impaired immune system
-  risk of type 2 diabetes
-  increased heart rate variability
-  risk of heart disease
-  decreased reaction time and accuracy
-  tremors
-  aches
-  growth suppression
-  risk of obesity
-  decreased body temperature

For more information about sleep ...

What are the signs and symptoms of sleep deprivation?
http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep/page2.htm

What are and what causes sleep disorders?

http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep/page2.htm

How are sleep problems treated?

What is “sleep hygiene”?
What therapies are used to treat sleep problems and disorders?
http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep/page4.htm

Information about sleep medications.

http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep/page5.htm

How to sleep well

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/howto.html

For lots of info about sleep

http://www.bettersleep.ca/

Before I finish I want to tell you about something I have been doing for a few months now and works about 99.9% of the time in helping me fall asleep. I read about this a while ago where people can be hooked up to a computer and asked to concentrate on slowing their heartbeat down. The program showed that people were actually able to do so and so I decided to try something similar. I haven’t got any program to use but I wondered if I could simply do it and whether I might notice anything. Well, as a matter of fact, I did do it. Right away I noticed my breathing slowed down and I felt calmer. At some point I started trying it at night before falling asleep as I was having trouble getting to sleep. All I did was say to myself “slow your heartbeat down” over and over. Sometimes I would visualize my heart beating and then beating slower and slower but not always. As long as I kept focusing on the words I eventually fell asleep. I tried it over and over and it kept working because I would wake up later and think “I don’t remember saying it for very long”. I simply fell asleep within minutes.

Like I said, I have been doing this for months now and I do it when I first get into bed and anytime during the night that I wake up and have a little trouble getting back to sleep. It takes a little practice as my mind likes to wander over lots of things but all I have to do is bring my thoughts back to that one sentence and presto I fall asleep. I’m amazed how well it works and I don’t know whether it’s the words, or whether I have programmed my body in some way. I told people in my support group about it too and two or three people said they tried it and it worked for them. There were also others who tried it and it didn’t work. I have a feeling that’s because they have a hard time focusing on the sentence and that other thoughts intrude so it may take some practice. But hey ... you’re welcome to try it. It might just work for you.

Sweet dreams folks.