Talking Yourself to Sleep
Insomnia has a way of taking control of your life quickly.
There’s nothing like a few nights in a row with no sleep to instantly change someone’s personality.
And I guess that’s why so many people turn to powerful prescription meds so quickly – because they’re looking for a quick fix and a chance to finally get some much-needed sleep.
But if you’re not getting enough sleep, don’t be so quick to reach for that pill bottle.
Not only are drugs not the only solution, they’re not even the best or most effective solution.
The latest study to confirm this compared a popular sleep med to simple talk therapy. And guess what? Talk therapy works every bit as well as these powerful and expensive meds.
But like they say in those late-night infomercials, “Wait! There’s more!” Because that’s not even the best part of this study, which was published in May in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study also found that over the long term, talk therapy was even better than drugs. Folks who got talk therapy refreshers during a six-month follow-up period slept better than those who were allowed to take meds whenever they felt they needed them.
If you’re not sleeping well, you should get to the bottom of it. Chronic sleeplessness has been linked to hypertension, depression and increased suicidal thoughts, even in people who are not otherwise depressed.
But as this study shows, there’s no need to turn your condition into a payday for Big Pharma.
I often write these messages late at night, not because I suffer from insomnia but because it’s the only time of day I’m not busy with patients, studying medical reports or raising my boys.
If, like me, you’re up at that hour you’ve probably noticed all those commercials for sleep drugs that show up after midnight. I can’t help but laugh when I see them, because it seems like the longest part of these commercials is the part where they mention all the side effects.
Depression, unusual thoughts, risky behavior, decreased inhibitions, anxiety, aggression, hallucinations, confusion, blurred vision, lack of coordination, amnesia, nausea, constipation and headaches are some of the possible side effects. I say “some” because I can’t possibly list them all.
There have even been reports of people walking, making phone calls, eating and driving – yes, driving! – while supposedly asleep on these drugs.
While talk therapy is a great alternative to prescription meds, I’ve found that many people who suffer from chronic sleeplessness or fatigue are often quietly battling a potassium deficiency.
Dr. William B. Ferril's medical practice in Whitefish, Montana has become a beacon of hope for people throughout the country seeking relief from some of medicine’s most heartbreaking diseases. He also spent a decade practicing medicine on the Flathead Indian reservation in Western Montana.
You can get access to Dr. Ferril’s innovative healing techniques every month in his acclaimed newsletter, Health Revelations.
You can sign up for his free House Calls here.
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Comments
Anonymous
Interesting post, but ultimately not useful. Would've been stronger if the article had discussed WHAT talk therapy is, how/why it works (even if that's mostly conjecture), and most importantly, HOW TO DO IT (or a link to someone who can teach you, I'm not immune to the concept that everyone's trying to make a living here...).
Jim Campbell
Thanks for the comment.
Another thing to keep in mind about the study is patients were instructed to sleep in their beds only (no couch snoozing) and to avoid reading and television. If they were unable to get to sleep in 20 minutes they were instructed to return to bed only when sleepy again.
Wise Geeks has a pretty concise definition of talk therapy.
Ed
I read the Wise Geeks article, but still don't feel I understand what "talking yourself to sleep" is and how it is accomplished. I live alone and wouldn't be disturbing anyone by talking out loud, but am not even sure if that is how it is supposed to be done. A little more info, please! (for example, what to talk about, or not to talk about, etc.)
Anonymous
Ed, I'm with you, if they don't even tell you anything more about it
how is anybody supposed to know what they are talking about!
Anonymous
I also read both articles and am still in the dark. I have fibromyalgia (nine years, now), which has been described as basically a sleep disorder with pain. This is inadequate, but there's some truth to it.
I cannot sleep without three different medications (Lyrica three times a day, a sedative to help quiet my brain, and Lunesta, as an actual sleeping pill). But sleep, for me, also requires careful attention to sleep hygiene (going to bed at the same time each night, keeping away from computer screens at least an hour before bedtime, getting some light during the day, getting some exercise earlier in the day, etc.).
The medications alone are not enough, but neither are the other measures. Even then, there's no way of knowing if I actually achieve stage four sleep. I'd love to be off my meds, but I haven't found a way.
Pippi
I looked up this article hoping to get a few tips on talking myself to sleep, just something to get started - but NOTHING. Very disappointing. A few tips so we could give it a try would be so helpful.
Anonymous
Exactly - what is Talking Yourself to Sleep?
I've tried counting breaths, but that makes me so aware of my breathing that I begin to do an abnormal pace. I've tried envisioning some beautiful place - beach in the islands -
with soft music, colorful flowers, etc. and it works sometimes.
Best is having window open, quilts for covers, a ceiling fan going (unless its really cold - add more quilts). Also sleep comes faster when I go to bed earlier. But worries can kill
sleep. Hope we can find out what this Talking is all about.
Jim Campbell
Perhaps this will give a better understanding of the talk therapy Dr. Ferril referred to in this article:
The talk therapy consists of six hour-long sessions one week apart. The sessions incorporate five principles:
* Sleep hygiene. Patients learn how lifestyle habits (such as diet and alcohol use) and environmental factors (such as light, noise, and temperature) affect sleep.
* Sleep restriction. Patients keep to a strict schedule of bed times and wake times that at first increases their sleepiness by depriving them of sleep.
* Stimulus control. Patients learn to associate being in bed with going to sleep. They learn not to do anything in the bedroom that does not help them sleep.
* Cognitive therapy. "The thoughts people with insomnia have about sleep are a bit skewed," Sivertsen says. "Cognitive therapy gives patients control over what is going on. They become their own co-therapists."
* Progressive relaxation technique. Patients learn to recognize and control muscular tension.
So you won't be talking yourself to sleep while in bed, you'll be discussing the nature of sleep with a licensed therapist.
Hope that helps clear things up...if you need more info, check out the below article.
Insomnia: Talk Beats Sleeping Pills<\a>
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