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WHAT IS INSOMNIA?
Insomnia is the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of one or more of the following:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep
- Waking up too early in the morning
- Unrefreshing sleep
Insomnia is not defined by the number of hours of sleep a person gets or how long it takes to fall asleep. Individuals vary normally in their need for, and their satisfaction with sleep. Insomnia may cause problems during the day, such as tiredness, a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, irritability, frustration and often affects motivation, daytime performance and interpersonal relationships.
Previously, individuals with insomnia had a simple choice of either enduring it, or taking sleep medication – with mixed results.
PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS
The Mind/Body Insomnia Program employs a comprehensive non-drug approach to improving sleep. The Program is the most effective scientifically-validated treatment ever developed for insomnia (The American Journal of Medicine, 1996). It:
- Improves sleep in 100 percent of insomniacs
- Allows 90 percent to reduce or eliminate their use of sleeping pills
- Helps 75 percent become normal sleepers
PREVALENCE OF INSOMNIA
Approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by a sleep problem. About 40 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorders, and an additional 20-30 million are affected by intermittent sleep-related problems.
- More than two-thirds of all children (69%) experience one or more sleep problems at least a few nights a week
- Two-thirds of older adults (67%) report frequent sleep problems, however only a small fraction, one in eight, say those problems have been diagnosed.
- As many as 47 million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, health and behavior problems because they aren’t meeting their minimum sleep need in order to be fully alert the next day.
- A majority of American adults (63%) do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep needed for good health, safety, and optimum performance. In fact, nearly one-third (31%) report sleeping less than seven hours each week night, though many adults say they try to sleep more on weekends.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are caused by drowsy drivers each year. (That is about 1.5% of all crashes.) These crashes result in more than 1,500 fatalities and 71,000 injuries and result in an estimated $12.5 billion in diminished productivity and property loss (Knipling and Wang, 1996).
According to the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of Americans said they drove while feeling drowsy in the past year; 17% said they actually dozed off behind the wheel.
MIND/BODY BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Treatment plans include:
- Psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral interventions
- Sleep hygiene and reconditioning techniques
- Psychophysiological training to change the physical and emotional response to stress.
- Nutritional and fitness reeducation
WHO WOULD BENEFIT:
Individuals who are:
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Experiencing problems falling asleep
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Waking during the night or early morning with difficulty returning to sleep
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Suffering from poor quality of sleep
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