According to science, sleeping pills don’t work, but where does insomnia like me remain?

It was mid-September 2015 and I didn’t sleep for 6 weeks except for one night. It is still remembered as a mysteriously offered slice of heavenly rest during a period of insomnia that is otherwise ridiculously cruel. Not sleeping for six weeks sounds like a drama or an exaggeration, but it’s not. If you’re lucky, you can, of course, get some sleep. That is, anything that has fuel in the tank and makes the system feel restored can actually avoid people for days, weeks, or even months.

Not the first time, but during the 2015 insomnia rash, I was desperate. I was fascinated by what was happening to me, and the feeling that it would never end and I would never regain my life. And finally I went to GP. Since I was a kid, I had been seeking treatment for insomnia, so I had to postpone doing so for years. In the past, I was given the standard sleeping pills-zopiclone and ambien (zolpidem) -and, in the end, they made me feel addicted the next day while they stunned me. I didn’t want to drink it again. But in September 2015, I took something to break the cycle.

There are usually many ways to deal with insomnia, and attitude is always the most important. In that sense, A new study conducted by a team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston is correct: sleeping pills do not work in the long run And like the UK Sleep charity What’s more, people with sleep disorders need for permanent change Cognitive behavioral therapy, Not a medicine.

The fact that sleeping pills are ineffective in the long run is quite clear, although treatments are effective. But life is more complicated. It can take months for the treatment to be effective, but it is still far from a dead certificate. Also, a few weeks after each day begins with a gravel-like misery and yet another sleep-deprived hangover, people are inevitably in a position to start a course of treatment that seeks to relax about ruining their lives themselves. It is in.

Their patience, or mine anyway, is diminished by the wise words issued by so-called experts. For example, you need to avoid caffeine and alcohol, relax at night, clean up your screen quickly, eat healthy, and learn to be alert. Yes, we know it all, and if those things make a difference or are easy to achieve (for me, mindfulness is certainly not), believe me, I We are now sleeping like babies.

Insomnia is not a panacea, but its treatment is still depressingly crude.Yes, researchers are right that people should Practice “sleep hygiene”. Sleep is as psychological as chemical activity, so it is correct that treatment is the right place for intervention.

But they miss the heart of the matter. There are many types of insomnia, so you need someone who understands your type and specific problems, and the physical and mental despair that accompanies them.

My point is that I can’t sleep at all. Therefore, if the pill is off the table, you need a therapist who has this particular annoying problem. It’s not a common problem of sleep deprivation. And if you don’t understand the pure and reflexive fear that your body can seemingly last forever in the twilight of long-term sleep deprivation, I can’t help either.

I was lucky on that desperate trip to the GP in 2015. He had insomnia with similar problems to me. He prescribed me a small amount of an old, non-addictive antidepressant called mirtazapine every night. It acts as a sedative in small doses. I often can’t sleep together, but I can’t sleep without it, so I’m still drinking. I’d rather be freed from it, especially because it’s far from reliable, but I haven’t been able to make the leap yet. The rest? I resign and try to accept things as they are.

Long-term insomnia is a mystery that has never been deciphered. The worst thing a person with insomnia can do is stick to it and fight. But that message only sinks if given by someone who really understands it. Also, acceptance can take a lifetime, so you may need to fix it quickly to simply continue.

What if my sleeping pills don’t work?

Luke Mints

CBT-I

According to Professor Guy Leschziner, a neurologist at London Bridge Hospital, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT-I) for insomnia remains a “gold standard” treatment. In 6-8 sessions, the therapist encourages patients to investigate and resolve harmful thoughts about sleep, such as “8 hours needed” (many people don’t need that much) and “if you can’t sleep”. .. Tonight, I’ll be miserably confused at work tomorrow “(usually you don’t).

Dr. Neil Stanley, a former head of the Sleep Lab at Surrey University, states that CBT-I is far more effective in the long run than drug therapy. “When you stop taking sleep pills, it doesn’t work, but CBT-I has been shown to be beneficial even after treatment,” he says.

Sleep restriction therapy

A derivative of CBT-I, sleep-restricted therapy is designed to consolidate sleep into a single block by reducing the amount of time you spend in bed. By doing so, you “strengthen your sleep cravings,” says Stanley, reducing the amount of time you spend waking up, throwing, and turning in bed. People with insomnia are told to use their diary or sleep app to calculate their average sleep time in a few hours and add 30 minutes. This is the only time you can go to bed every night. Patients who sleep four hours each night should spend only four and a half hours in bed. As your sleep improves, you can gradually increase your bedtime allowance.

Sleep hygiene

Even if you don’t have access to therapy, minor lifestyle adjustments can help. Stanley recommends making sure your bedroom is “dark, quiet, and cool,” and states that you need to avoid stimulating your brain for the first few hours before bedtime (smartphones are especially enemies here). ). As with drinking alcohol and caffeine, you should avoid smoking in the evening. Some doctors recommend cutting caffeine during the day, but the evidence here is more volatile.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

In a cruel twist, anxiety about sleep actually worsens our sleep. The longer we stay awake, the more we worry about morning fatigue and the more we associate our beds with stress. ACT is a fairly new approach and is fundamentally different from other forms of sleep therapy.Popular with Dr. Guy Medose Sleep book, It teaches insomnia to simply accept sleep deprivation as part of life. Patients are told to stop fighting insomnia and be peaceful with the fact that you may be tired from time to time. Over time, this approach reduces you worrying about bedtime – and it actually improves your sleep. However, many doctors are not yet convinced. “There is little evidence that ACT is beneficial. I personally think it’s a very strange idea,” says Stanley. Leschziner adds: “There is little evidence to support the ACT approach … but it’s useful for some people, so it’s definitely worth a try.”