TITLE

I’m Often Wide Awake at 3 A.M. How Do I Get Back to Sleep?

Sleep experts offer advice on sleeping soundly through the night.

DESCRIPTION

This is a terrific article that points to both the causes of insomnia as well as how to handle the issues and take control to have better sleep.  “It’s normal to wake up a few times during the night, as the brain cycles through various stages of deeper and lighter sleep. [link will take you to other related articles] Older people also often have to get out of bed to use the bathroom one or two times during the night. Waking up at night is usually harmless. Most people have no trouble falling back asleep and may not even remember their nighttime awakenings the next morning.  But if you frequently wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself struggling to fall back asleep, there could be an underlying problem. If this occurs at least three times a week over a period of at least three months, it could be chronic insomnia, said Dr. Kannan Ramar, a sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.” The article focuses on normal sleep, the problems related to insomnia (stress/anxiety) and the mistakes that people make when they are awake in the middle of the night.  The article provides advice in the form of the sleep hygiene rules to get a better night’s sleep – and in most cases these rules are effective.

SOURCE

New York Times, July 13, 2021, by Anahad O’Connor

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/13/well/mind/sleep-insomnia-tips.html?smid=em-share

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/3nmd67ct

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

•What are the normal sleep stages?

•What are the causes of insomnia?  What mistakes do people make when they wake up in the middle of the night?

•If you were a sleep specialist, what advice would you give insomnia suffers to help them achieve a good night’s sleep?