The Best Way To Beat Insomnia Is To Spend Less Time In Bed

Can't get to sleep? Well, then stay up, say researchers at Auckland University who have discovered a potential breakthrough treatment for insomnia.

According to scientists, the key to sleeplessness is to force bad sleepers to spend less time in bed.

Insomnia — Overview
Difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep is known as insomnia. It is a symptom that occurs due to other disorders and can cause daytime sleepiness.

First, insomniacs are first told to keep a detailed diary of the time they spend in bed asleep and awake. Then, they are told to change their habits, reducing the time they spend in bed each night by the number of hours they would usually spend lying awake.

After a couple of weeks of this sleep "deficit", many patients discover they are tired enough to start sleeping better.

The team has just completed analysis of a pilot study into the treatment.

The findings have excited interest from the British Medical Journal, which has published details.

According to senior lecturer Tony Fernando, who led the study, the results had huge public health consequences if adopted by GPs.

Epworth Sleepiness Scale
Measure your daytime sleepiness using this simple interactive tool, based on Epworth Sleepiness disorder Scale. Excessive Daytime Sleepiness is a type of hypersomnia characterized by persistent sleepiness and lack of energy.

"It means the millions we spend on drugs, herbal medicines and special mattresses looking for an answer can actually be solved by something very simple," The Sunday Star Times quoted him, as saying.

Fernando's study of 40 participants over two years targeted primary insomniacs those whose insomnia has no obvious cause such as depression, anxiety or other sleep disorders.

Study Claims Good Bedtime Habits can Help Relieve Insomnia
Forget sleeping pills, the best long-term solution to insomnia is good bedtime habits, says a new study.

When the insomniacs in the study underwent a four-week "sleep rescheduling protocol", 80 to 90 percent said their insomnia had improved.

Source-ANI
SRM