Erica Heilman
If you have suffered sleepless nights then you're familiar with a particular kind of torture. Minutes become hours, hours become eons, and problems you manage with ease during the day become nightmarish, circular conundrums when considered at 3 am.
It's called insomnia, and not only does it cause frustration at night, it can also significantly impair you in the day. Consequences can include depression, extreme fatigue, poor concentration, lousy driving and even illness.
As many as 25% of Americans suffer from an occasional bad night of sleep, and approximately 10% have a chronic problem with insomnia. Each year 70 million Americans spend approximately $148 million on a variety of remedies to either put them to sleep at night or keep them awake in the day.
There are more effective ways, however, to win in this bedtime battle. Below, sleep expert Dr. Gary Zammit, Director of the Sleep Disorders Institute at Saint Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, introduces a range of therapies that can help people get the sleep they need.
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and is often characterized by impairments in daytime functioning. People with insomnia often complain of impairments in attention, memory or concentration, impairments in their mood, feeling depressed or irritable or anxious, and impairments in their ability to function in the workplace, at home or even at school.
What determines "adequate sleep?"
Copyright 2009 NBC Health
Click here to read the rest of the article at HealthVideo.com
