Insomnia

Drugs and sleeping pills are often turned to but the problem here is that drugs can get you to sleep and lower the threshold of awakening but they prevent getting quality sleep, or more often people become dependent on this chemical assistance and now there is always a pay-back somewhere…people dependent on drugs for sleep end up that they can’t sleep without them but don’t sleep consistently well with them. They might have 2 good nights out of 5 and yet another vicious circle to battle.

People who have insomnia often crave sleep spending eight to ten hours at a stretch in bed. There is no evidence that sleep is about time…in fact, a US study of over one million people in 2002, (Dr Kripke) found that people who sleep longer than 8 hours die at a younger age than those who sleep less. Sleep is ALL about quality…the classic symptom of people with sleep apnoea is that they can sleep all night but are tired and sleepy during the day.

While not as obvious as it is with snoring, an unconscious over-breathing habit is common in people who suffer from insomnia. It is there contributing to a hyper-arousal state that prevents sleep. Overbreathing excites your brain and makes muscles tense. Your adrenal glands pump out the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol. None of this is conducive to sleep.

Normal breathing at rest is gentle and nasal and pretty quiet, retraining your breathing teaches people how to “change back” the automatic breathing mechanism, so that your automatic all-the-time breathing comes back closer to normal – day or night awake or asleep.