IPods for Insomnia

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

Depression and Sleep

I saw a recent study in the J Clin Psychiatry 2006;67(2):196-203: 'The relationship between depression and sleep disturbances: a Japanese nationwide general population survey."

24,000 people from over 300 communities were studied. The result showed that individuals who slept less than 6 hours and those whose sleep duration was 8 hours or more tended to be more depressed than those whose sleep duration was between 6 and 8 hours.

What is so interesting about this particular study is that these same sleep times are associated with mortality. In a Japaneese confirmatory study it was discovered that those who sleep less than 6 hours and more than 8 hours are more likely to die, earlier.

So the next question I would have would be is it the depression that is killing people, or sleep deprivation?

Related Topics: The Toll of Sleep Loss in America, Sleep Disorders: Fact or Fiction?,