About Insomnia
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How is insomnia defined?
Insomnia is a symptom or syndrome rather than a disease that results in decreased quantity or quality of sleep. It is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or simply having “unrefreshing” sleep. It is a very common problem, and is more common in women than men.
Insomnia can be of transient, short, or chronic duration. For many people, insomnia is related to an underlying problem such as situational stress, anxiety, grief, or depression, or to a medical problem such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Circadian rhythm disorders related to shift work or jet lag also contribute to insomnia. People with insomnia can experience daytime fatigue or sleepiness, inability to concentrate, irritability, anxiety, depression, or forgetfulness.
If you suffer from insomnia, you should consult your doctor, as there may be an underlying disorder causing your problem.
What do sleep experts recommend for insomnia?
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends.
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine: take a bath, read a book or do something calming before bed.
Make sure your sleep environment is dark, quiet, cool, and comfortable.
Avoid or limit your use of stimulants like caffeine (coffee, tea, sodas, chocolate), decongestants, or tobacco before bed.
Avoid or limit your intake of alcohol before going to sleep. Alcohol’s depressant effect helps people fall asleep, but not to stay asleep.
Exercise regularly, but avoid exercise within a few hours before going to bed.
Learn to reduce or manage the stress in your life.
Avoid daytime naps.
Use the bed only for sleep and sex; keep the bedroom free from distractions like television, computers, and work. Remember that the multispectrum light of TV stimulates the central nervous system.
Avoid going to sleep hungry, but also avoid eating just before bedtime, as this not only adversely effects sleep, but can also cause gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Get out of bed if you can’t fall asleep within 15–20 minutes. Read under a dim lamp until you are drowsy. Only spend time in bed when you are actually sleepy or sleeping.
Don’t watch the clock—it can cause anxiety about sleep.
Keep a journal or sleep log to record both good and poor nights' sleep. This can help you recognize patterns and expose activities that trigger sleeplessness.
What treatments are available?
Medications that currently are available by prescription are known to improve sleep by reducing the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, increasing sleep duration, and/or reducing the number of awakenings during sleep. There are several types of prescription sleeping pills, such as the benzodiazepines like temazepam (Restoril). There are also the newer medications such as zolpidem (Ambien®), zaleplon (Sonata®), and eszopiclone (Lunesta®).
Over-the-counter medications that are available for the treatment of insomnia are mainly sedating antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl®).
What new treatments are being studied?
Rochester Clinical Research has performed clinical trials on medication for those individuals who have difficulty staying asleep, and suffer from frequent awakenings in the night.
For more information on insomnia:
Mayo Clinic: Insomnia
WebMD: Insomnia
Sleep Association: Insomnia
Family Doctor: Insomnia
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Rochester Clinical Research performs clinical research trials and studies for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. We rapidly recruit and screen quality volunteers to participate in clinical studies, and we maintain a large database of volunteers. Study volunteers receive free study-related medical care, investigational medicines, and a monetary stipend to compensate for their time and travel. RCR studies include therapeutic areas and drug categories such as weight loss, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, flu vaccines, and smoking cessation. Our state-of-the-art medical office facility is staffed by highly qualified, caring physicians, investigators, and nurses. RCR is located in Rochester NY and serves the Finger Lakes region of New York. RCR is a WBENC-Certified Women's Business Enterprise.
