Sleep Well

From the Chicago Tribune Blog: Insomnia cure: Take your buds to bed

So I was reading my Google Alert for Sleep Stories and I came across an interesting one: At the Chicago Tribune Blog ” Change of Subject” by Zorn, he claims the secret ingredients for insomnia are…

Ear buds. A Walkman-style tape player. A cassette recording of a talk-radio program from earlier in the day. I put a bud in one ear, let the other dangle, start the tape, close my eyes and try not to fall asleep. I try to pay attention to the conversation, follow it carefully, engage in the topic.

The next thing I know it’s morning and I am rested and refreshed.

I found this interesting and decided to read on. They actually quoted a very famous sleep research scientist who explained the basic theory here which is distraction. If you are thinking about this program you are not thinking about stressful events, personal or business worries, or wondering about the general state of the world, it is easier to fall asleep. I too have found this to be true in my patients and I give several distraction techniques in my upcoming book “Good Night; The Sleep Doctor’s 28 night program to better sleep and better health.”

I also thought it was interesting the medium he chose, a pre-recorded, pre-listened to radio show. His reasoning was quite logical:

A- First, because I can’t forward over commercials (non-distracting) in live talk radio. Second because I find daytime and early evening talk radio shows more interesting (and therefore more distracting) than late-night talk radio. And finally because it puts my mind at ease to know that if I hear something particularly fascinating, I need not fight sleep in order to be sure I hear it. Many times I’ll rewind the next morning and hear the end of a segment that put me to sleep the night before.

Thus based on what I know from sleep research and my experiences with patients I would agree this sounds interesting, however, what does one do about the cord??

Related Topics: WebMD Video: Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep, Insomnia Can Trigger Depression, Study Shows

Technorati Tags: iPod, insomnia, distraction