Chronic Insomnia Baffles Sleeping Experts

[Guest guest]

Well, this is refreshing: Conventional medicine admits it is clueless

about insomnia.

 

Cathy B.

 

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http://news./s/ap/20050615/ap_on_he_me/trouble_sleeping & printer=1

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Chronic Insomnia Baffles Sleeping Experts

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By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer

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Chronic insomnia is a major public health problem affecting millions of

Americans, but there's far too little research to know how to best treat

them, what causes their sleep disruption or its health consequences, an

expert panel told the National Institutes of Health Wednesday.

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The most common treatments — over-the-counter allergy medicines that

cause drowsiness, alcohol or an old antidepressant — come with little

evidence that they help and can themselves cause problems, warned the

panel's draft conclusions.

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The best treatment options to date are behavioral/cognitive therapy —

training people to reduce anxiety and take other sleep-promoting steps

— and a handful of newer prescription sleep agents, the panel found.

But even those newer drugs haven't been studied for more than brief use,

panelists said.

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About a third of adults complain of problems sleeping, while about 10

percent have symptoms of daytime impairment that seem to be true

insomnia. But what causes it remains a mystery. It often accompanies

depression or any of a host of other medical problems, from arthritis to

diseases of the heart, lungs and brain.

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Yet it's hard to tell if the insomnia came first or was a result of the

other diseases — and how trouble sleeping in turn complicates those

other problems. That's critical to learn, because it could affect

patients' treatment, panelists said.

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The risk of insomnia does seem to increase with age, possibly because of

declining health, and it's more common among women, especially after

menopause. Smoking, alcohol, coffee and numerous prescription drugs also

affect sleep. Yet while there are lots of theories that the hectic pace

of today's society might play a role, too, there's no actual proof. The

bottom line, the NIH panel said: Insomnia's a big enough health concern

to warrant major new research into its causes and treatments, along with

concerted education for doctors and the public.

[Guest guest]

,

nevercomestheday@w... wrote:

> Well, this is refreshing: Conventional medicine admits it is

clueless about insomnia.

>

> Cathy B.

>

 

The news media version promoted low doses of antidepressants as a

solution. This appears to be just another new way to promote the use

of psychiatric drugs. I'm surprised that this article didn't include

their " solution " . It is however an interesting approach. If very

many heed these " experts " , perhaps hundreds, even millions more may

become addicted. This is a new " disease " and may even require a new

*label*.

JoAnn

 

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http://news./s/ap/20050615/ap_on_he_me/trouble_sleeping & prin

ter=1

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> Chronic Insomnia Baffles Sleeping Experts

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> By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer

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> Chronic insomnia is a major public health problem affecting

millions of