insomnia disorders

DISORDERS

(Their description, characteristics or symptoms,

causes, and complementary or alternative treatments)

Disorder: INSOMNIA

Description: Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. It is usually temporary, although in some cases, sleep-related problems can last for months or even years. Every individual’s requirements for sleep are different. Children generally require more sleep than adults. As people get older, especially over the age of 60, they tend to sleep less and have more problems with insomnia.

Symptoms: Insomnia is habitual sleeplessness that is repeated night after night. It can take the form of being unable to fall asleep when you first go to bed, or waking during the night and being unable to go back to sleep, or awakening too early.

Incidence: An estimated 15 to 17 percent of the population suffers from insomnia at any given time. Each year 4 to 6 million Americans receive prescriptions for sedative hypnotics (sleeping pills).

Causes: Insomnia can result from a wide variety of causes, including environmental factors, mental/emotional factors, and physiological factors. Hypoglycemia, muscle aches, indigestion, breathing problems, pain, restless leg syndrome, leg cramps and the use of certain drugs including the decongestant pseudoephedrine (found in many cold and allergy remedies), most appetite suppressants, many antidepressants, beta-blockers (medications used for high blood pressure and heart ailments), the anti-seizure medication phenytoin (Dilantin), and thyroid hormone replacement drugs, can all attribute to insomnia. Environmental factors that can cause sleep problems include noise, an uncomfortable mattress, poor ventilation, humidity, etc. Mental/emotion factors that can precipitate insomnia include grief, depression, anxiety, fear and excitement.

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious disorder that can cause repeated waking during the night. In sleep apnea, there is intermittent cessation of breathing during sleep which forces the individual to repeatedly wake up to take breaths of air. In addition to causing extreme sleepiness during the day, people who suffer from sleep apnea also tend to have higher than normal blood pressure. They also tend to have a higher than normal incidence of emotion and psychotic disorders, which experts attribute to a "dream deficit" – a lack of rapid-eye-movement REM sleep.

Treatments: Several approaches may prove useful, including diet changes, nutritional supplementation, herbs, and homeopathy.

Nutrients:

Supplement Dosage Comments

Calcium And Magnesium	1500-2000 mg. daily, in divided doses, after meals and at bedtime. 1,000 mg. daily	Has a calming effect. Use calcium lactate or calcium chelate form (d o not use lactate form if you are allergic to dairy products.) Needed to balance with calcium and relax the muscles.
Melatonin	Start with 1.5 mg. daily, taken 2 hours or less before bedtime. If this is not effective gradually increase dosage until an effective level is reached (up to 5 mg. daily).	A natural hormone that promotes sound sleep.
Vitamin B complex Plus extra Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) And inositol	As directed on label. 50 mg. daily 100 mg. daily, at bedtime.	Helps to promote a restful state. Good for relieving stress. Enhances REM sleep.

Herbs:

	California poppy, hops, kava kava, passionflower, skull-cap, and valerian root, taken in capsule or extract form, are all good for helping to overcome insomnia. It is best not to rely on one herb on a regular basis, but to rotate among several. Take these herbs before bedtime.
	Catnip and chamomile have mild sedative properties. Drinking chamomile tea several times throughout the day helps to calm the nervous system, promoting restful sleep.

Recommendations:

In the evening, eat turkey, bananas, figs, dates, yogurt, milk, tuna, and whole grain crackers or nut butter. These foods are high in tryptophan, which promotes sleep. Eating a grapefruit half at bedtime also helps.

Avoid the following:

	Caffeine in all forms (tea, coffee, cola, chocolate), especially after lunch.
	Alcohol. A small amount can help induce sleep initially but disrupts sleep cycles later.
	Tobacco. While smoking may seem to have a calming effect, nicotine is actually a neurostimulant and can cause sleep problems.
	Bacon, cheese, eggplant, ham, potatoes, sauerkraut, sugar, sausage, spinach, tomatoes and wine close to bedtime. These foods contain tyramine, which increases the release of norepinephrine, a brain stimulant.
	Nasal decongestants and other cold medications late in the day. While many ingredients in these medications may cause drowsiness, they can have the opposite effect on some people and act as a stimulant.

Establish a set of habits and follow them consistently to establish a healthy sleep cycle. Among them:

	Use the bedroom only for sleep and sex – not for reading, working, eating, or watching television.
	Set an alarm clock and get out of bed at the same time every morning, no matter how you slept the night before. Once normal sleep patterns are reestablished, most people have no need for an alarm clock.
	Go to bed only when you are sleepy.
	Do not stay in bed if you are not sleepy. Get up and move to another room and read, watch television, or do something quietly until you are sleepy.
	Do not nap during the day if this is not a normal thing for you to do.
	Take a hot bath an hour or two before bedtime.
	Keep the bedroom comfortable and quiet. If too much quiet is the problem, try running a fan or playing a radio softly in the background. There are also devices that generate "white noise" sounds like the ocean surf or a steady rain that help people who are "quiet-sensitive" to sleep.
	Learn a relaxation technique such as meditation.
	Breathing techniques can calm the body and promote sleep. Controlled breathing, such as yogic breathing, can help people fall asleep more quickly.
	Exercise in the late afternoon or early evening, but not too close to bedtime. Light exercise in the early evening, such as walking, is recommended.

Considerations:

	If you wake up easily in the morning and rarely (if ever) need your alarm clock, and make it through the entire day without feeling drowsy, you are probably getting enough sleep.
	A hair analysis can reveal if you have a deficiency of copper and iron, which some researchers believe can cause insomnia.
	Various treatments for restless leg syndrome have been attempted without a consistent level of success. Taking proper vitamin and mineral supplements - calcium, potassium, magnesium and zinc - may help this annoying disorder.
	Anyone who snores excessively should be evaluated for sleep apnea.

Vitamin For Life Recommended Regimen and cost:

Product No. 59618-	Description	Comments	Cost
145-15	Calcium Lactate Tabs.	Take as directed on label, in divided doses, after meals and at bedtime.	$2.95/100
232-15	Magnesium 200 mg. Caps.	Take as directed on label, with calcium	$4.95/100
927-12	Melatonin 3 mg. w/B6 Tabs.	Take one tablet 2 hours or less before bedtime	$5.50/60
890-15	B Complex 100 mg. Tabs.	As directed on label.	$8.95/100

Sources:

Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2^nd Edition

By James F. Balch, M.D. & Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.

Alternative Medicine, the Definitive Guide,

By Burton Goldberg

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