This time, I would like to introduce the results of a psychological analysis of sleep.
Sleep is one of the three major human desires.
In Japan, where there are a lot of good sleep products on the market, it can be read that the desire for sleep is deeply craved.However, we may be able to improve our sleep without resorting to large scale tools.
In this section, I'll introduce some tips on how to change your sleep to a better quality, published by the American Psychological Association.
About the contents of the paper
First, let's look at the reality of sleep disorders.
The results of a study conducted by the NSF (1999~2004) presented the fact that about 40 million Americans suffer from 70 different sleep disorders.
Sixty percent of adults suffer from insomnia several days a week, but leave the problem untreated by seeking professional help.It has been reported that 40% of adults have insomnia two to three days a week, which interferes with their daytime activities.20% of people report feeling sleepy three or more days a week, and 69% of children have problems sleeping at least one day a week.
Since the survey was conducted in the U.S., the results are likely to be quite different in Japan, but to be honest, if you go to a specialist for insomnia, they will just give you sleeping pills, right?
I have a feeling of resignation in my heart.
In my experience, when I consulted with them about my insomnia, they didn't give me a very good response and just gave me a pill to take. I also felt that my insomnia could not be improved without medication.
Another Study
The next question is what are the signs of excessive sleepiness? That's the question.
According to Dr. David F. Dinges, an expert at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the signs of sleepiness are irritability and mood swings.
And if the signs are seen and the insomnia continues, it can lead to emotional scarcity, decreased language function, difficulty in completing multiple tasks, and memory problems.
And in this state, you may start to doze off for a few seconds while reading or doing other activities.There are people who talk about their sleeplessness as if it is a good thing, but because they are sleep deprived, they are not able to think steadily, and their emotions are poor.
If you are around such people, it is better to think that they are not sleeping well and performing badly. If you are around such people, it is better to think that they are not sleeping enough and are not performing well.
As for the amount of sleep you need, it is generally said to be eight hours.
However, the amount of time required varies from person to person, so it is not possible to determine a specific amount of time.
Sleep Disorders and Decision-Making Power
Next, let's look at sleep disorders and impaired decision making.
Dr. Roehrs, who studies sleep disorders at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, published a study showing that insomnia has a negative effect on decision-making power.
The results of the study showed that people who are sleep-deprived tend not to think carefully when faced with a choice, and tend to jump to conclusions easily, overlooking important things in an attempt to reduce the time needed to reach a conclusion.
This is what I found out.
If a person who is under pressure to make an important decision has insomnia, his or her performance will drop considerably.
It is easy to imagine that when a person is under pressure to make an important decision, insomnia can significantly reduce performance and even delay decision making, even in life-threatening situations such as car accidents.
So, how can we improve our sleep disorder? Here is a method that was published in the New York Times in 2004.
I'm sure some of you have heard of it.
You may have heard of it, but it's a treatment that uses cognitive behavioral therapy to improve.The experiment included Ambien (sleeping pills), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), both, and placebo in 63 healthy and non-insomniac subjects.
The group that received CBT received five 30-minute sessions over a six-week period.The content of the intervention was to recognize the causes of stress and to improve or change them.
They were also taught that they could delay their sleep if they really couldn't sleep, and what actions they should and shouldn't take before going to bed.
After three weeks, 44% of the patients who took Ambien and CBT fell asleep more quickly than the 29% who took sleeping pills alone.
Patients who received CBT were able to fall asleep in half the time it took them to fall asleep before the experiment.
Summary and countermeasures
The researchers then gave us these measures to help us get a good night's sleep.
Set a regular sleep schedule.
Avoid caffeine 4 to 6 hours before bedtime.
Stop smoking before bedtime and in the middle of the night.
Stop drinking alcohol and eating heavy meals before bedtime.
Exercise regularly.
Maintain a good sleep environment (sound, light, temperature, etc.)
Do not use an alarm clock.
As for CBT, it has been shown to improve the results of chronic insomnia by 70~80%.The clinician should record the patient's sleep.Time of going to bed and waking up.Frequency of waking.How long it takes to fall asleep.Quality of sleep.From these, the cause of the person's problem is brought out and action is taken to improve it.
For example, if a person has insomnia because they watch TV at night, we can stop them from watching TV.
And we may also change their thinking about insomnia.
That is, you need to sleep for 8 hours.
If I don't sleep well, I might get sick tomorrow.
I can't sleep unless I take medicine.
Until these beliefs are changed, psychologically speaking, insomnia cannot be said to have been improved.CBT is a method that requires patience.
Both for the patient and the specialist.There is nothing good about having insomnia.
If you are really suffering from it like I am, please learn more about it and use it as an opportunity to take action to improve.
