sleep disorders...

This is an article I found lying around on the 'net.
I've been keeping some odd hours these few days.
Like today, for examples... I JUST came back from a late tea session.

I know I really shouldn't...





Insomnia

It's 3 a.m. and I'm awake. The ruddy digits on my clock radio tick off every agonizing minute until sunrise. My mind is like a broken AM radio at full volume -- a thousand talk-show hosts yammering all at once. It will only get worse: At 6 a.m., the sun will stream through the gaps in the blinds and I will peel back the covers and stagger into tomorrow, the walking dead, a certified insomniac.

Plenty of things can keep a guy up all night: stress, an overactive imagination, the pretty redhead next door. Insomnia is the most common of the sleep disorders, experienced by nearly everyone at one point in their lifetime. Still, it's nothing to shrug off. Short-term sleep loss can kill problem-solving skills, alertness and even sex drive.

A joint study by the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard Medical School found that running on fewer than five hours of sleep a night over a period of 14 days has the same effect on the brain as staying up two days straight.

We're talking major dysfunction. The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research describes the brain freeze caused by sleep deprivation as a "progressive, cumulative deterioration in neurobehavioral function including vigilance, neurocognitive performance and mood." In short, when you're tired, you're dumb, angry and depressed.

Temporary insomnia -- caused by jetlag or a stressful situation -- can resolve itself in time without a treatment program. Long-term insomnia can be trickier to treat. Most doctors are hesitant to prescribe drugs for insomnia, as patients can grow dependent on them. However, some newer drugs, like Ambien, are less likely to be addictive. Still, anyone who takes medication to sleep should be closely supervised by a doctor.

What you can do about it: The experts agree that setting a regular sleep schedule and observing proper "sleep hygiene" can do a lot to help insomnia. Go to bed at the same time every night. Avoid alcohol before bed. Sleep in a neat, quiet room free of light and extreme temperatures. Avoid exercise and excitement before bed. Following these simple, commonsense steps can be just as effective as any drug.