Insomnia can damage your intelligence and overall cognitive function – but it now appears that you can improve your sleep simply by challenging your brain.

Researchers studied 51 insomnia sufferers aged between 65 and 85.

34 of the participants were placed in a ‘cognitive training’ group and 17 were put in a control group.

All participants then completed a computer training course for 8 weeks.

Those in the cognitive training group were set 21 tasks with 3 different levels of difficulty. The control group wasn’t set any high-level cognitive function tasks.

Researchers found that at the end of the 8 weeks, those assigned the cognitive function tasks fell asleep nearly 14 minutes faster and saw their sleep efficiency increase from an average of 73.54% before the treatment to 80.28% after.

What’s perhaps even more dramatic is that the decrease in time to fall asleep moved every single insomniac out of the criteria for insomnia (when using that measure alone).

The improvements in sleep efficiency almost moved participants out of the criteria for insomnia (sleep efficiency needs to be below 85%).

The cognitive training group also experienced fewer nighttime awakenings.

There was still something interesting to come from the control group, though. Researchers found that the associated cognitive decline in working memory increased the time it took for these participants to fall asleep.

In conclusion, it would appear that cognitive training – particularly for older insomnia sufferers – can dramatically improve sleep.

So get out there and teach yourself some new tricks!

Source: PubMed

We already have a good idea of how much insomnia costs businesses each year – but up to now, we’ve not had a good idea of how much it costs individuals.

Researchers have set out to try to determine just how much insomnia costs on an individual level.

The study examined a random selection of 948 adults from Quebec, Canada.

Each participant answered questions on their sleep, overall health, use of healthcare services, absences from work, accidents and work productivity.

For those with insomnia, the annual cost was $5,010.

For those with insomnia symptoms but no diagnosis, the annual cost was $1,431.

For those who slept well, there was still an annual cost – $421.

Insomnia can be treated relatively inexpensively – and as studies like this show, treating insomnia will always be far more cost effective than ignoring the condition.

Source: NCBI

I just stumbled upon one of the biggest reasons yet for why you should never ignore insomnia.

Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark examined almost 1,000 men. The men gave sperm samples and were also asked about their sleep.

The study found that those who went to bed late at night, frequently woke during the night, or had trouble falling asleep had a sperm count that was 25% lower compared to those who slept normally.

Researchers also found that the testicles of those with insomnia symptoms were significantly smaller than those who slept well.

The researchers have no idea why there appears to be a link between sleep deprivation and lower sperm counts and smaller testicles, and they’re keen to point out that there is no proof that insomnia is to blame (or vice-versa).

One theory suggests the link may be due to the fact that those who suffer from insomnia often have unhealthier lifestyles (think smoking, drinking and weight problems).

Researchers also suggest that testosterone and sleep may be far more closely linked than we ever thought.

Source: Daily Mail

There are lots of people out there touting insomnia advice and solutions (I am one of them!) – but not all the advice they share will always be accurate, safe or appropriate for you.

Today I want to share the experiences of one man who tried out a recommended insomnia cure from celebrity doctor, Dr Oz. Unfortunately it didn’t go well.

The insomnia cure in question involved using a ‘heated rice footsie’.

Basically, you pour rice into your socks, heat them in the microwave and then wear them in bed for up to 20 minutes.

The theory? The hot rice diverts blood to your feet, lowering your core body temperature and helping you sleep.

The reality? Well, for the man now suing Dr Oz, it was third-degree burns and being confined to his bed for two weeks.

Be careful out there, folks!

Source: CNN

A recent study set out to determine how nocturia (the need to get up during the night to urinate) affects sleep in those with insomnia.

Researchers analyzed the sleep habits of 55 men with an average age of 64, and 92 women with an average age of 62 over the course of two weeks.

Just over half claimed that the reason they woke during the night was to use the bathroom.

Researchers found that (perhaps unsurprisingly) a larger number of trips to the bathroom was associated with lower levels of sleep efficiency.

Additionally, the duration of nighttime awakenings after sleep onset increased by over 20% when an individual had to use the toilet during the night.

Interestingly, researchers found that waking during the night due to nocturia did not affect total sleep duration.

The lead author of the study is keen to point out that no ’cause and effect’ relationship has been found between insomnia and nocturia; although treating nocturia could alleviate insomnia, at the same time, perhaps treating insomnia could alleviate nocturia.

The jury is still out on that one.

Source: Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

Not that there’s any ‘good’ type of insomnia, of course.

Researchers recently set out to determine the extent of insomnia’s damaging effects – specifically daytime impairment.

This includes concentration, mood, energy levels, relationships and work functioning.

The study involved over 10,000 participants. Of these, around half suffered from insomnia.

83% of those with insomnia had suffered from the condition for over a year, and 45% had been insomniacs for more than six years.

Researchers found the effects of interrupted sleep to be far more pronounced in insomnia sufferers compared to normally healthy sleepers who were assessed after a few nights of poor sleep.

They also found that those who experienced a combination of difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep and waking too early suffered from the highest levels of daytime impairment.

Those who experienced only one symptom of insomnia (difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking too early or not feeling rested upon awakening) all suffered from similar levels of daytime impairment.

The ultimate form of debilitating insomnia comes when you mix in a mental health condition.

In addition, those who suffered from insomnia since childhood were more likely to experience poorer levels of concentration, mood and mental health than those who developed insomnia as an adult.

Source: medwireNews

Sleep is important.

Vitally important.

It’s thought that the ideal sleep duration is between seven and eight hours per night. So what happens when you regularly fail to get enough sleep?

Bad things.

Here are just a few of them:

Those who sleep for less than 6 hours are far more likely to fall asleep whilst driving.

A lack of sleep has also been linked to higher rates of smoking, reduced levels of physical activity and obesity.

If you get less than seven hours of sleep each night, you’re three times more likely to catch a cold. If you get by on less than six hours, you’ll experience impaired memory, slower reaction times and poorer cognition.

Things can get even more serious – insomnia has also been linked with hypertension, weight gain, diabetes and a compromised immune system. These conditions can then lead to complications such as stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and even death.

Insomnia has also been linked with thoughts of suicide.

Insomnia isn’t something to be ignored.

Source: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

I am a big fan of acupuncture as an insomnia remedy.

An increasing number of studies are showing just how effective it can be – and, as long as you don’t go into it expecting miracles, you may be pleasantly surprised at how well it improves the quality of your sleep.

I recently came across a study published in 2012 that compared the effectiveness of zolpidem (Ambien) with acupuncture as a treatment option for primary insomnia.

The study involved 33 individuals with primary insomnia. 19 received one acupuncture session every week for four weeks. 14 took 10mg of zolpidem each night.

Researchers found that both groups saw significant improvements in their sleep quality scores. In fact, the improvements were so similar, it led the researchers to conclude that acupuncture may be a viable alternative to zolpidem when it comes to treating insomnia.

Source: PubMed

I just finished reading a summary of the latest Great British Sleep Report.

It would seem that in the UK, the average person now gets less than 7 hours of sleep each night. A third of those surveyed get only 5 to 6 hours.

Stress or worry keeps nearly half of Brits awake at night, close to 8 million have tried drinking alcohol to help them fall asleep and almost 7 million self-medicate with over the counter sleeping pills.

When I read reports like this I wonder whether insomnia is becoming the new normal. As we continue to see ever-increasing rates of sleeplessness and sleep disturbance will we soon get to the stage where more than half of the population struggle with sleep (something that should come naturally and be unremarkable)?

Let’s hope not – but the trend appears to be telling a different story.

Source: Sleep Council

Ah, sleeping pills – how we love to hate you.

The fact is, for some of us, they are absolutely necessary – over the short-term.

That being said, a new study suggests that as much as half of the effect that comes from taking a sleeping pill doesn’t actually come from the sleeping pill itself.

Instead, half of the benefit is all in your mind – a classic example of the placebo effect at work.

In this latest study, researchers examined 13 studies that involved over 4,000 individuals.

Hypnotic medications such as zolpidem were the most popular of all the sleeping pills being taken.

Researchers found that although ‘Z drugs’ (eszopiclone, zaleplon, and zolpidem) did help patients fall asleep a little faster and sleep for a little longer, they were only slightly more effective than a placebo.

In fact, they argue that as much as 50% of a patient’s response to a Z drug is down to the placebo response.

When you consider this fact against the list of side-effects that come with these drugs:

• Fatigue
• Memory loss
• Dependency
• Higher mortality

It’s quite clear why I always prefer to see alternative insomnia remedies take precedent over sleeping pills.

Source: British Medical Journal