Episode 2

What is Insomnia and Why Do I Have It!

On this episode I discuss insomnia and its most common causes, including some specific things you should talk to your trusted healthcare provider about if some of these sound all too familiar

• Insomnia refers to problems stemming from an adequate opportunity to sleep (ie, at least 7 hours time in bed)
  • These problems involve difficulty falling asleep initially, staying asleep, waking prematurely, and feeling dissatisfied with sleep leading to daytime impairment
  • Daytime impairment can involve:
    • Fatigue/not well rested; cognitive (attention, concentration, memory); social, family, occupational, academic problems; mood changes; behavior changes (impulsive, aggressive, lethargic, hyperactive); poor motivation; being accident-prone
• Insomnia can be caused by many different medications and medical problems
• Sleep disorders (especially sleep apnea) appear to the most common cause of insomnia, afflicting more than half of all adults in the most recent population studies
• Insomnia can also be the result of our thoughts/judgements and actions/behaviors that result in habits that interfere with our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep
  • Especially mindracing (with our without anxiety)
  • The most effective way to resolve this type of insomnia, is to identify which automatic thoughts and behaviors you are experiencing, and then replace them with thoughts and behaviors that are healthier - that allow you to sleep more soundly and wake well-rested; that allow you to be IN CONTROL of your own mind and not feel dragged along; that allow you to thrive
• If you have been struggling with insomnia, please contact your trusted healthcare provider, as insomnia is a treatable symptom of many different sleep and medical problems, some of which can be life-threatening
  • And be sure to check out more episodes of Well Rested, where I discuss all the things you can do at home (all those pesky thoughts and behaviors) to help improve the quality of your sleep at night and help you feel well rested during your days