The Cleveland Clinic and ABC News (NewsNet5) collaborated to raise awareness about sleep disorders at a recent Wellness Expo. The Clinic’s facility in Lyndhurst, Ohio, hosted the event which focused on various sleep issues, as well as some possible fixes for the afflicted.
On an local news broadcast, experts at the Sleep Disorders Center at the Cleveland Clinic estimated that 10% to 15% of Americans suffer some form of insomnia. Disorders such as insomnia may become more pronounced in the winter, a fact bolstered by Michelle Drerup, Psy.D., who works with the Sleep Disorders Center. “Their insomnia will worsen in the winter time when there’s a lack of sunlight,” said Drerup on the broadcast.
She added that insomnia and depression rates increase in the winter as well. And with the world more connected, devices like computers and smart phones are not helping. “People are bringing their tablets and smartphones to bed which can be disruptive to sleep patterns,” Drerup said.
Instead of fighting insomnia, Dr. Silvia Neme-mercante said the solution is often to give in to wakefulness, at least for a while. “Patients should not stay in bed if they are not sleeping,” she said. “We ask the patients to leave their bedroom and then come back when they are sleepy.”
Napping to catch up from lost sleep can also be a hindrance to real sleep, and the latest research (see the story above in today’s newsletter) could even put certain genes “out of rhythm.” “That nap can interrupt the next night’s sleep,” said Neme-mercante on the broadcast, “and it just becomes a vicious cycle.”
Source: Cleveland Clinic
