Restful Sleep

CEBU, Philippines - By the mere mood of the city on any given night, it is not difficult to imagine that there's someone somewhere - in fact, probably one in every ten urbanites - who just couldn't get to sleep. The poor fellow is not only found among night-shift workers, although this sector has its own share of sufferers.

It seems insomnia is a silent epidemic plaguing city life. The problem traverses across all sectors and levels of society. Many night workers have it, and so do daytime employees; from top executives to office cleaners.

   "Millions of people need sleeping tablets and tranquilizers to help them get through life," says Dr. Vernon Coleman, in his book "The 20-Minute Health Check." Dr. Coleman warns that these common remedies can eventually present more problems than they solve. The doctor is forthright in adding that the collective position of health experts is "that many of the drugs commonly prescribed as sleeping pills can cause insomnia, cause anxiety, and cause depression!" The very medication employed to cure the ailment conversely brings the ailment on, in the long term.

The best way yet to treat sleeplessness or insomnia is to learn to combat it the natural way. Dr. Coleman gives the following suggestions:

.               If you're taking sleeping pills, don't stop them suddenly. These pills can be very addictive - they need to be stopped slowly, over a period of time. Consult your doctor for help.

.               Make your bed as comfortable as can be, and make sure your bedroom is neither too hot nor too cold.

.               If you find yourself lying awake thinking of the day's problems, take a walk, have a hot bath for 15 minutes, then go to bed with a good, relaxing book.

.               Don't worry if you seem to need less sleep than other people - or need less sleep than you used to. We all need different amounts of sleep and most of us need less sleep as we get older.

.               If  you still feel alert and full of life when you go to bed, try tiring yourself out with exercise.

.               If  it's the day's problems that keep you lying awake at night, try writing down your worries. Keep a notebook by the side of your bed - or a voice recorder - so you can note down problems as they pop into your head.

.               If you're kept awake by other symptoms - e.g. pain or breathlessness - talk to your doctor and ask for his help. It's much better to treat the specific symptom that is keeping you awake than merely to rely on sleeping tablets.

.               If you are kept awake by noise, buy some ear plugs - they work marvelously!

.               Avoid tea or coffee last thing at night. Both can keep you awake.

.               If you are currently trying to lose weight, then don't worry if you don't need to sleep as much. It's natural for slimmers to sleep less.

Any of those ideas may be able to effectively quell a budding problem. A combination of two or more may be necessary for the rather established sleeplessness. If none of those do, the problem probably needs more serious professional attention. (FREEMAN)