 |
|
About 5 percent of adults with insomnia use alternative therapies
September 19, 2006More than 1.6 million U.S. adults are estimated to use complementary and alternative therapies to treat insomnia or trouble sleeping, according to the results of a national survey published in the September 18 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a theme issue on sleep.
Approximately 10 to 34 percent of Americans regularly experience difficulty sleeping, also known as insomnia, according to background information in the article. Treatment options include prescription and non-prescription medications, antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, defined as those practices that are not scientifically proven and are not currently considered part of conventional medicine, also are used to treat insomnia. Such therapies include herbal medicines and relaxation techniques.
Nancy J. Pearson, Ph.D., and colleagues at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., analyzed data from a national survey of 31,044 adults conducted in 2002. Respondents answered one question about whether they regularly had insomnia or trouble sleeping in the past 12 months and completed a 10-minute supplemental survey on the use of 27 types of CAM therapies. The interview also included questions on over 50 other health conditions. Four items assessed behavior and motivation for using CAM therapies.
Of the adults interviewed, 17.4 percent reported that they regularly had insomnia or trouble sleeping in the past year. Difficulty sleeping was more common in women than men, most prevalent between ages 45 and 64, and was associated with obesity, hypertension, congestive heart failure and anxiety or depression, but not diabetes. Of those with insomnia or trouble sleeping, 4.5 percent reported that they had used CAM to treat the condition, which is equal to about 1.62 million adults in the general population. Survey respondents who were younger and who had a higher level of education were more likely to use CAM to help them sleep.
Among those who use CAM therapies for their insomnia, 60.7 percent told their conventional physician. Sixty-five percent used biological methods, which include herbal medicines, diet interventions and vitamin therapy, and mind-body therapies such as meditation were used by 39 percent. Fifty-six percent reported that the therapy was very important to their health and well-being.
Forty-nine percent of those who used herbal medicine and 48 percent of those who used relaxation therapy reported that CAM helped alleviate their condition. "Although the question asking whether the CAM therapy helped provides useful information on the public's perception of effectiveness of CAM therapies for insomnia or trouble sleeping, it does not directly address the efficacy of the CAM therapy," the authors write. "A positive answer to this question could be due to a placebo effect, the natural history of the condition or other unidentified influences rather than efficacy of the CAM treatment." The survey results provide valuable information about the use of CAM that can guide future studies of whether these therapies are effective, they conclude.
JAMA and Archives Journals
Of the adults interviewed, 17.4 percent reported that they regularly had insomnia or trouble sleeping in the past year. Difficulty sleeping was more common in women than men, most prevalent between ages 45 and 64, and was associated with obesity, hypertension, congestive heart failure and anxiety or depression, but not diabetes. Of those with insomnia or trouble sleeping, 4.5 percent reported that they had used CAM to treat the condition, which is equal to about 1.62 million adults in the general population. Survey respondents who were younger and who had a higher level of education were more likely to use CAM to help them sleep.
Among those who use CAM therapies for their insomnia, 60.7 percent told their conventional physician. Sixty-five percent used biological methods, which include herbal medicines, diet interventions and vitamin therapy, and mind-body therapies such as meditation were used by 39 percent. Fifty-six percent reported that the therapy was very important to their health and well-being.
Forty-nine percent of those who used herbal medicine and 48 percent of those who used relaxation therapy reported that CAM helped alleviate their condition. "Although the question asking whether the CAM therapy helped provides useful information on the public's perception of effectiveness of CAM therapies for insomnia or trouble sleeping, it does not directly address the efficacy of the CAM therapy," the authors write. "A positive answer to this question could be due to a placebo effect, the natural history of the condition or other unidentified influences rather than efficacy of the CAM treatment." The survey results provide valuable information about the use of CAM that can guide future studies of whether these therapies are effective, they conclude.
JAMA and Archives Journals
Insomnia Current Events and Insomnia News RSSGreen tea shows promise as chemoprevention agent for oral cancer, M. D. Anderson study finds
Green tea extract has shown promise as cancer prevention agent for oral cancer in patients with a pre-malignant condition known as oral leukoplakia, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Fighting Sleep, Penn Researchers Reverse the Cognitive Impairment Caused By Sleep Deprivation
A research collaboration led by biologists and neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania has found a molecular pathway in the brain that is the cause of cognitive impairment due to sleep deprivation.
Exercise reduces fatigue in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy
Supervised exercise programmes that include high and low intense cardiovascular and resistance training can help reduce fatigue in patients with cancer who are undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy or treatment for advanced disease.
U-M discovery about biological clocks overturns long-held theory
University of Michigan mathematicians and their British colleagues say they have identified the signal that the brain sends to the rest of the body to control biological rhythms, a finding that overturns a long-held theory about our internal clock.
Novel, soy-based SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol supplement reduced hot flash frequency by nearly 59 percent
SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol, a novel soy germ-based ingredient in a supplement, improved menopausal symptoms, including significantly reducing hot flash frequency by nearly 59 percent, according to a peer-reviewed study in Japanese women.
Penn studies point to strategies for reducing painful breast cancer drug side effects
Aromatase inhibitors, the same drugs that have buoyed long-term survival rates among breast cancer patients, also carry side effects including joint pain so severe that many patients discontinue these lifesaving medicines.
'Alert status' area in brain discoved by Hebrew University scientists
A new understanding of how anesthesia and anesthesia-like states are controlled in the brain opens the door to possible new future treatments of various states of loss of consciousness, such as reversible coma, according to Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists.
Insomnia is bad for the heart
Can't sleep at night? A new study published in the journal Sleep has found that people who suffer from insomnia have heightened nighttime blood pressure, which can lead to cardiac problems.
Workplace bullying is associated with sleep disturbances
A study in the Sept.1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that current or past exposure to workplace bullying is associated with increased sleep disturbances.
Chemotherapy for breast cancer is associated with disruption of sleep-wake rhythm in women
A study in the Sept.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the sleep-wake activity rhythms of breast cancer patients are impaired during the administration of chemotherapy.
More Insomnia Current Events and Insomnia News Articles
 |
Insomnia by Stephen King (Author) Ralph Roberts hasn't been sleeping well lately. Every morning he wakes just a little bit earlier until pretty soon, he isn't sleeping at all. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the strange hallucinations--and the nightmares that keep coming to life. |
 |
Insomnia (Widescreen Edition) Starring: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Oliver 'Ole' Zemen, Martin Donovan Directed By: Christopher Nolan Also With: Andrew A. Kosove (Producer), Ben Cosgrove (Producer), Broderick Johnson (Producer), Charles J.D. Schlissel (Producer), Erik Skjoldbjærg (Writer), Hillary Seitz (Writer), Nikolaj Frobenius (Writer) Crime never sleeps. Neither does Will Dormer (AL PACINO), a veteran LAPD homicide detective sent north to Alaska to head a murder case. There his investigation is disrupted by an ever-shining Midnight Sun that wreaks sleep-depriving havoc on his body clock and brings Dormer's shady, guilt-plagued past into the light of day. DVD Features: |
 |
The Insomnia Solution: The Natural, Drug-Free Way to a Good Night's Sleep by Michael Krugman (Author) Insomnia. It’s nearly universal affliction that keeps millions of Americans up at night. But now there’s help: THE INSOMNIA SOLUTION by Michael Krugman. In this revolutionary book, Krugman shows readers that insomnia is not just a nighttime affliction, but a 24-hour-a-day condition resulting from daytime stress that persists into the night, delaying the onset of sleep and making it shallower and less restful. To relieve stress and ensure sounder sleep, Krugman offers a two-pronged program of gentle, physical techniques, called Mini-Moves, based on traditional and modern self-healing methods including qigong, meditation, and the Feldenkrais Method. Brief, daytime Mini-Moves offset stress and make life more peaceful. When your life is more peaceful, your sleep is more... |
 |
Insomnia - Criterion Collection Starring: Maria Mathiesen, Stellan Skarsgård, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Gisken Armand, Kristian Figenschow Directed By: Erik Skjoldbjærg Disgraced Swedish detective Jonas Engström (Stellan Skarsgård) travels to northern Norway to solve a brutal murder in Insomnia. Unable to sleep through the night of the midnight sun, Engström quickly loses his grip on the case and his mind. Erik Skjoldbjærg's debut feature is a deft amalgam of psychological thriller, morality play, and police procedural. Criterion presents the DVD premiere of Insomnia in a new widescreen transfer. |
 |
Hyland's Insomnia, 100 Tablets (Pack of 3) by Hyland's Homeopathic Homeopathic. Natural relief for insomnia and restlessness. Formerly Hyland's No. 23, Hyland's Insomnia is a traditional homeopathic formula for the relief of insomnia, sleeplessness and restlessness due to worry or stress. Working without contraindications or side effects. Hyland's Insomnia stimulates your body's natural healing response to relieve symptoms without sedative hangover. Hyland's Insomnia is safe for adults and children and can be used in conjunction with other medications. Made in USA. |
 |
Say Good Night to Insomnia by Gregg D. Jacobs (Author) The bestselling guide to curing insomnia without drugs by "a pioneer" of the field, now updated with the latest research (The Wall Street Journal) For the past ten years, sleep-deprived Americans have found natural, drug-free relief from insomnia with the help of Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs’s Say Good Night to Insomnia. Jacobs’s program, developed and tested at Harvard Medical School and based on cognitive behavioral therapy, has been shown to improve sleep long-term in 80 percent of patients, making it the gold standard for treatment. He provides techniques for eliminating sleeping pills; establishing sleep-promoting behaviors and lifestyle practices; and improving relaxation, reducing stress, and changing negative thoughts about sleep. In this updated edition, Jacobs... |
 |
Insomnia (Full Screen Edition) Starring: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Oliver 'Ole' Zemen, Martin Donovan Directed By: Christopher Nolan Also With: Andrew A. Kosove (Producer), Ben Cosgrove (Producer), Broderick Johnson (Producer), Charles J.D. Schlissel (Producer), Erik Skjoldbjærg (Writer), Hillary Seitz (Writer), Nikolaj Frobenius (Writer) Crime never sleeps. Neither does Will Dormer (AL PACINO), a veteran LAPD homicide detective sent north to Alaska to head a murder case. There his investigation is disrupted by an ever-shining Midnight Sun that wreaks sleep-depriving havoc on his body clock and brings Dormer's shady, guilt-plagued past into the light of day. DVD Features: |
 |
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia: A Session-by-Session Guide by Michael L. Perlis (Author), Carla Jungquist (Author), Michael T. Smith (Author), Donn Posner (Author) Cognitive behavior therapy which has been adapted to treat so many problems, has also brought data-driven and data-yielding treatment to insomnia. Focusing on this evidence-based modality, Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia is a much-needed treatment manual that provides clinicians with the why’s and how’s of this approach in concise and practical terms. This book, which is written as a reader-friendly guide, is intended for clinical trainees, non-insomnia sleep specialists, and for expert CBT clinicians from outside the sleep medicine field who wish to begin the process of learning to provide empirically validated CBT-I. The Book is organized into seven parts: definition of insomnia; review of the conceptual; framework for treatment; overview of the components of therapy;... |
 |
Sleep Solutions (The Calming Collection) by Roberta Shapiro The first of this wonderfully helpful series is : SLEEP SOLUTIONS. Several techniques are provided, including meditation and hypnosis, which have been found to be highly effective with sleep problems and sleep management. The Calming Collection provides simple, direct solutions for dramatically reducing anxiety through the use of mindful meditation and hypnosis to more rapidly produce deep healing relaxation, profound relief of stress and anxiety and more rapid, lasting achievement of one's goals. These programs use the concept of hypno-meditation and were designed by Roberta Shapiro, M.Ed., a leading specialist in the field of anxiety management. They were formulated as a more rapid and helpful way to manage anxiety and other personal issues. Roberta Shapiro is a renowned psychotherapist... |
 |
LifeSign SleepKey Handheld Insomnia Treatment Computer by LifeSign SleepKey is a small hand-held computer that uses cognitive behavioral therapy in a self-help format to treat insomnia. SleepKey is scientifically based and its development was funded in part with grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. SleepKey works in three stages: Stage 1 (1 week): SleepKey records your sleep pattern while in bed based on your response to a low volume beep, and helps you develop a regular wake up time. Stage 2 (about 2-4 weeks): Based on your sleep pattern, SleepKey sets your bedtime and prompts you to get out of bed if not sleeping so that most of your time in bed is spent asleep. SleepKey then gradually adjusts your bedtime until you are getting a full night's sleep. Stage 3: SleepKey helps you maintain a... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |