Who’s Sleeping in Your Bed?
Did you know that women suffer from insomnia twice as often as men? The incidence of insomnia can increase with life stressors but also increases during premenopausal years as women are often awakened by night sweats and hot flushes.
Insomnia isn’t just troubling to the sufferer at night. The inability to sleep or poor and interrupted sleep that leaves the sufferer unrefreshed can cause fatigue, drowsiness and difficulty in concentrating during the day.
Insomnia has plagued members of the human race since time immemorial and anecdotal remedies abound. We all know the one about counting sheep, but did you know that a sliced onion in a jar near your bed is supposed to induce sleep? A glass of warm milk is probably the best known “food cure” for insomnia. But be careful with food cures as superstitions blame consumption of some foods for generating nightmares.
The American Insomnia Association states that one third of all Americans suffer from occasional insomnia and one in ten suffers from chronic insomnia. Treatment options include medications as well as behavioral adjustments and relaxation therapies.
More resources for those with sleep disorders:
Psychology Today - A Diet for Insomniacs
