Coffee bad for insomniacs — Experts

Insomnia is difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. An individual suffering insomnia has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. It is a condition of unsatisfactory quantity or quality of sleep, which persists for a considerable period of time and causes distress to the sufferers. It could be transient or persistent. Difficulty in falling asleep is the most common complaint, followed by difficulty in staying asleep and early morning wakening. However, patients usually report a combination of these complaints. People with insomnia usually report feeling tense, anxious, worried, or depressed at bedtime. They frequently ruminate over getting enough sleep, personal problems, health status or even death. In the morning, they frequently feel physically and mentally tired and during the day, they feel depressed, worried, tense, irritable and preoccupied with themselves. An average adult should sleep normally for six to nine hours every night. However, some people are short sleepers who require less than six hours of sleep each night to function adequately while long sleepers are those who sleep more than nine hours to function adequately. It is important to note that people vary in the amount of sleep they require and some of those who complain of insomnia may be having enough sleep without realising it. An individual with insomnia should not take coffee. Coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant. It can stimulate the central nervous system, hence will disturb the individual’s sleep or keep him or her awake. When should sufferers seek help? One to two hours of tossing and turning indicates difficulty in initiating sleep. If an individual experiencing this observes sleep hygiene and insomnia persists, he or she should seek medical attention early as the insomnia may be secondary to some other medical or psychiatric conditions. Should waking up within specific hours at night to urinate be anything to worry about? Waking up once at specific periods each night to ease oneself should not be something to worry about. However, if an individual wakes up consistently several times at night to pass urine, it should be a source of worry especially if the volume of urine is large as this may point to presence of some other medical condition. What are the prescription pills available? There are several types of sleeping pills but they can be grouped into short-acting (for few hours) and long-acting. Do they have side effects? Side effects of sleeping pills are numerous; they include hang over or residual effects in which the individual is slow and drowsy the next day; deficits in daytime performance, impaired coordination and judgment, confusion, amnesia, depressed mood. Prolonged use can lead to tolerance and dependence. Abrupt cessation of some sleeping pills can result in rebound insomnia as well as withdrawal symptoms like apprehension, anxiety, tremor, nausea, perceptual disturbances, depression and suicidal thoughts and rarely, seizures Is it true that sleeping pills can trigger parasomnias? Some sleeping pills are potentially harmful but have rare side effects such as parasomnias (e.g sleepwalking, sleep talking, nightmares, night terrors). When one consistently wakes up hours before the time he or she wants to wake, can one take sleeping pills? Waking up hours before one wants to wake may indicate that there are other problems such as increased stress, financial or relationship difficulties, anxiety or depression. Most depressed people wake up few hours before their usual waking time (early morning waking). Anyone consistently experiencing early waking should seek medical attention, perhaps; see a primary care physician or a psychiatrist for prope, assessment and treatment. Sleeping pills should not be taken without prescription. Does napping make insomnia worse? Yes, napping could make insomnia worse. Anyone having difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep at night should avoid daytime naps except when sleep chart shows they induce better night sleep. How can addiction to medication be avoided? Medications for insomnia can cause tolerance and dependence. To prevent this, drugs used primarily for insomnia should be taken for short periods, say a few days. It is important to treat the underlying condition causing the insomnia. What if sleeping pills don’t provide desired result? If one is taking sleeping pills without getting the desired result, he or she should consult medical personnel for appropriate assessment and treatment. Do cigarettes and alcohol affect sleep quality? Yes, cigarettes contain an active ingredient called nicotine which is a stimulant that keeps one alert and awake. Nicotine can disrupt the sleep architecture, that is, normal pattern of sleep stages. Smokers may take longer to fall asleep, stay sleepless and spend less time in deep sleep. Alcohol disrupts sequence and duration of sleep and alters total sleep and time required to fall asleep (sleep latency). People consume alcohol because of its sedating effect to promote sleep. However, alcohol taken within one hour of bedtime may decrease the time required to fall asleep but may disrupt sleep by causing awakening from dream and returning to sleep with difficulty. With continued alcohol consumption at bedtime, however, the sleep-inducing effect decreases but disruptive effect increases. This can lead to daytime fatigue and sleepiness.An individual with insomnia should not take coffee. Coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant. It can stimulate the central nervous system, hence will disturb the individual’s sleep or keep him or her awake. When should sufferers seek help? One to two hours of tossing and turning indicates difficulty in initiating sleep. If an individual experiencing this observes sleep hygiene and insomnia persists, he or she should seek medical attention early as the insomnia may be secondary to some other medical or psychiatric conditions. Should waking up within specific hours at night to urinate be anything to worry about? Waking up once at specific periods each night to ease oneself should not be something to worry about. However, if an individual wakes up consistently several times at night to pass urine, it should be a source of worry especially if the volume of urine is large as this may point to presence of some other medical condition. What are the prescription pills available? There are several types of sleeping pills but they can be grouped into short-acting (for few hours) and long-acting. Do they have side effects? Side effects of sleeping pills are numerous; they include hang over or residual effects in which the individual is slow and drowsy the next day; deficits in daytime performance, impaired coordination and judgment, confusion, amnesia, depressed mood. Prolonged use can lead to tolerance and dependence. Abrupt cessation of some sleeping pills can result in rebound insomnia as well as withdrawal symptoms like apprehension, anxiety, tremor, nausea, perceptual disturbances, depression and suicidal thoughts and rarely, seizures Is it true that sleeping pills can trigger parasomnias? Some sleeping pills are potentially harmful but have rare side effects such as parasomnias (e.g sleepwalking, sleep talking, nightmares, night terrors). When one consistently wakes up hours before the time he or she wants to wake, can one take sleeping pills? Waking up hours before one wants to wake may indicate that there are other problems such as increased stress, financial or relationship difficulties, anxiety or depression. Most depressed people wake up few hours before their usual waking time (early morning waking). Anyone consistently experiencing early waking should seek medical attention, perhaps; see a primary care physician or a psychiatrist for prope, assessment and treatment. Sleeping pills should not be taken without prescription. Does napping make insomnia worse? Yes, napping could make insomnia worse. Anyone having difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep at night should avoid daytime naps except when sleep chart shows they induce better night sleep. How can addiction to medication be avoided? Medications for insomnia can cause tolerance and dependence. To prevent this, drugs used primarily for insomnia should be taken for short periods, say a few days. It is important to treat the underlying condition causing the insomnia. What if sleeping pills don’t provide desired result? If one is taking sleeping pills without getting the desired result, he or she should consult medical personnel for appropriate assessment and treatment. Do cigarettes and alcohol affect sleep quality? Yes, cigarettes contain an active ingredient called nicotine which is a stimulant that keeps one alert and awake. Nicotine can disrupt the sleep architecture, that is, normal pattern of sleep stages. Smokers may take longer to fall asleep, stay sleepless and spend less time in deep sleep. Alcohol disrupts sequence and duration of sleep and alters total sleep and time required to fall asleep (sleep latency). People consume alcohol because of its sedating effect to promote sleep. However, alcohol taken within one hour of bedtime may decrease the time required to fall asleep but may disrupt sleep by causing awakening from dream and returning to sleep with difficulty. With continued alcohol consumption at bedtime, however, the sleep-inducing effect decreases but disruptive effect increases. This can lead to daytime fatigue and sleepiness.An individual with insomnia should not take coffee. Coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant. It can stimulate the central nervous system, hence will disturb the individual’s sleep or keep him or her awake. When should sufferers seek help? One to two hours of tossing and turning indicates difficulty in initiating sleep. If an individual experiencing this observes sleep hygiene and insomnia persists, he or she should seek medical attention early as the insomnia may be secondary to some other medical or psychiatric conditions. Should waking up within specific hours at night to urinate be anything to worry about? Waking up once at specific periods each night to ease oneself should not be something to worry about. However, if an individual wakes up consistently several times at night to pass urine, it should be a source of worry especially if the volume of urine is large as this may point to presence of some other medical condition. What are the prescription pills available? There are several types of sleeping pills but they can be grouped into short-acting (for few hours) and long-acting. Do they have side effects? Side effects of sleeping pills are numerous; they include hang over or residual effects in which the individual is slow and drowsy the next day; deficits in daytime performance, impaired coordination and judgment, confusion, amnesia, depressed mood. Prolonged use can lead to tolerance and dependence. Abrupt cessation of some sleeping pills can result in rebound insomnia as well as withdrawal symptoms like apprehension, anxiety, tremor, nausea, perceptual disturbances, depression and suicidal thoughts and rarely, seizures Is it true that sleeping pills can trigger parasomnias? Some sleeping pills are potentially harmful but have rare side effects such as parasomnias (e.g sleepwalking, sleep talking, nightmares, night terrors). When one consistently wakes up hours before the time he or she wants to wake, can one take sleeping pills? Waking up hours before one wants to wake may indicate that there are other problems such as increased stress, financial or relationship difficulties, anxiety or depression. Most depressed people wake up few hours before their usual waking time (early morning waking). Anyone consistently experiencing early waking should seek medical attention, perhaps; see a primary care physician or a psychiatrist for prope, assessment and treatment. Sleeping pills should not be taken without prescription. Does napping make insomnia worse? Yes, napping could make insomnia worse. Anyone having difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep at night should avoid daytime naps except when sleep chart shows they induce better night sleep. How can addiction to medication be avoided? Medications for insomnia can cause tolerance and dependence. To prevent this, drugs used primarily for insomnia should be taken for short periods, say a few days. It is important to treat the underlying condition causing the insomnia. What if sleeping pills don’t provide desired result? If one is taking sleeping pills without getting the desired result, he or she should consult medical personnel for appropriate assessment and treatment. Do cigarettes and alcohol affect sleep quality? Yes, cigarettes contain an active ingredient called nicotine which is a stimulant that keeps one alert and awake. Nicotine can disrupt the sleep architecture, that is, normal pattern of sleep stages. Smokers may take longer to fall asleep, stay sleepless and spend less time in deep sleep. Alcohol disrupts sequence and duration of sleep and alters total sleep and time required to fall asleep (sleep latency). People consume alcohol because of its sedating effect to promote sleep. However, alcohol taken within one hour of bedtime may decrease the time required to fall asleep but may disrupt sleep by causing awakening from dream and returning to sleep with difficulty. With continued alcohol consumption at bedtime, however, the sleep-inducing effect decreases but disruptive effect increases. This can lead to daytime fatigue and sleepiness.