Treating Sleeplessness

with Jeffrey Bahr, M.D., Internal Medicine, Advanced Healthcare

Last Updated: Dec. 1, 2003

‘Twas the night before work
And you tossed, and you said
“I’m awake and unhappy,
Lying here in this bed.”

That’s not the start of a happy story, but it is the start of a common one, according to Dr. Jeffrey Bahr, an internist at Advanced Healthcare. It’s also a story that can have a happy ending.

Jeffrey Bahr, M.D., Internal Medicine, Advanced Healthcare "About 12 percent of people have insomnia on a regular basis, but almost everybody has temporary insomnia at some point in their lives."

“About 12 percent of people have insomnia on a regular basis,” he said, “but almost everybody has temporary insomnia at some point in their lives. It gets a little more common as people get older.”

Sometimes it can be triggered by a single traumatic event, such as the loss of a loved one, temporary pain from an acute injury or a period of emotional stress.

The holidays can lead to temporary insomnia
“With the stress of the holiday season, the parties and family coming over,” Dr. Bahr said, “plus there’s greater food or alcohol intake at later hours, and that can throw the sleep cycle off as well.”

That can be compounded by what Dr. Bahr termed “poor sleep hygiene.”

That category includes going to bed and waking up at different hours each night, having an improper sleep environment, drinking too much caffeine, and using your bed incorrectly. “You need to trick your body into thinking that the bed is only for sleep,” he said, “and maladaptive patterns of behavior keep that from happening.”

Maladaptive behavior patterns include reading, eating, and watching television in bed. “If you’re sick and laid up in bed, it’s all right to have a television in the room,” he said, “but get out of bed if you’re not sick.”

If you’re not ill and like to read before bed, do it in a comfortable bedroom chair, he suggested.

Good sleep environment
The best sleep environment, Dr. Bahr said, is dark, quiet and cool. Establishing a set bedtime and waking time that provides between six and eight hours per day of good-quality sleep is optimal.

“People who get less than four hours or more than nine hours of sleep on a regular basis have a higher mortality rate,” Dr. Bahr said. “If you’re sleeping more than nine hours per day you’re probably more sedentary than average, and if you’re sleeping less than four hours, then you’re not getting the restorative time your body needs.”

During the holidays, when sleep times become more erratic because of the increased amount of activity and work involved, people just figure they’ll catch up during the weekend or over the holiday break. Not correct, Dr. Bahr said.

“You really cannot bank hours of sleep. Just try to get eight hours the next night and re-acclimate yourself to your normal pattern.”

Sleep tips
If you do find yourself lying awake at 2 a.m. and unable to fall back to sleep, Dr. Bahr said, don’t lie there and stare at the clock.

“Get out of bed,” he said. “Go to a different room and read or watch television until you feel drowsy enough. Then go back to bed. If you lie there and stress out, it becomes a self-feeding cycle.”

If the 2 a.m. trek to the TV set becomes routine, he said, start looking at your daily activities.

Exercising vigorously or eating too close to bedtime can interfere with your sleep cycle, and taking over-the-counter sleeping pills will make the problem worse.

“That’s one of the most maladaptive things you can do,” he said. “The brand-name medications marketed for sleep use the same medication that’s used for the prevention of allergy symptoms. It won’t maintain the natural order of the sleep cycle or allow you to get REM or deep sleep, which is what we need to be restored in the morning. It can also leave you feeling groggy or hung over.”

Remember, said Dr. Bahr, that temporary insomnia will pass more quickly if you try to re-establish a set sleep and wake time; watch television and read elsewhere; don’t eat, drink alcohol or exercise vigorously too close to bedtime; and don’t lie in bed if you find yourself unable to fall back to sleep quickly. Within a short period of time, the condition should pass and you’ll again be sleeping well and peacefully.

You woke up refreshed.
A full night of great rest!
Dr. Bahr’s sleep suggestions
Are simply the best!

We Have Answers Do you have medical questions or need help finding a doctor? The experts at Columbia St. Mary's and Advanced Healthcare can help. Click here.