![]() ![]() Lack of sleep may be related to obesity, diabetes, immune-system dysfunction, and many illnesses, as well as to safety issues such as car accidents and medical errors, plus impaired job performance and productivity in many other activities.Īlthough the modern era of sleep research started in the 1950s with the discovery of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the field remained, well, somnolent until recently. Much transpires while we are asleep, and the question is no longer whether sleep does something, but exactly what it does. Within an evolutionary framework, the simple fact that we spend about a third of our lives asleep suggests that sleep is more than a necessary evil. “They think that sleep is wasted time.” But sleep is not merely “down time” between episodes of being alive. When people make the unlikely claim that they get by on four hours of sleep per night, Stickgold often asks if they worry about what they are losing. “Not unless you think sleep does something.” “No-no reason at all not to,” Stickgold told the psychiatrist. military is sinking millions of dollars into research on modafinil, trying to see if they can keep soldiers awake and on duty-in Iraq, for example-for 80 out of 88 hours: two 40-hour shifts separated by eight hours of sleep. They do not produce normal sleep.” Even so, the U.S. “That said, all sleeping medications more or less derange your normal sleep patterns. “There’s no buzz, no crash, and it’s not clear that the body tries to make up the lost sleep,” reports Stickgold. In contrast to wakefulness-producing stimulants like amphetamines, modafinil (medically indicated for narcolepsy and tiredness secondary to multiple sclerosis and depression) does not seem to impair judgment or produce jitters. Used as an aid to prolonged study, modafinil is tantamount to a “performance-enhancing” drug-one of those controversial, and often illegal, boosters used by some athletes. The question resonated on several levels. He asked whether Stickgold knew of any reason not to prescribe modafinil, a new wakefulness-promoting drug, to a Harvard undergraduate facing a lot of academic work in exam period. Fortunately, chronic insomnia can almost always be corrected with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).Not long ago, a psychiatrist in private practice telephoned associate professor of psychiatry Robert Stickgold, a cognitive neuroscientist specializing in sleep research. Insomnia only becomes problematic when it’s chronic, stretching over periods of months or years. Such disruptions are a natural response to life changes. Usually it starts as short-term insomnia lasting a period of days or weeks, which isn’t a problem in itself. Millions of people in the US alone suffer from insomnia. Drawing on years of research he conducted at Harvard Medical School, Jacobs developed a more effective six-week course based on the power of positive thinking. Insomnia is a widespread problem that’s often treated with dangerous prescription drugs, if it’s treated at all. Jacobs is a primer on sleeplessness and how to correct it. Say Good Night to Insomnia (1998) by sleep doctor Gregg D. In this updated edition, Jacobs surveys the limitations and dangers of the new generation of sleeping pills, dispels misleading and confusing claims about sleep and health, and shares cutting-edge research on insomnia that proves his approach is more effective than sleeping pills. He provides techniques for eliminating sleeping pills establishing sleep-promoting behaviors and lifestyle practices and improving relaxation, reducing stress, and changing negative thoughts about sleep. ![]() Jacobs's program, developed and tested at Harvard Medical School and based on cognitive behavioral therapy, has been shown to improve sleep long-term in 80 percent of patients, making it the gold standard for treatment. Original book introduction: For the past ten years, sleep-deprived Americans have found natural, drug-free relief from insomnia with the help of Dr. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Jacobs's Say Good Night to Insomnia in 20 minutes. ![]()
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