Circady Insomnia Blog

If you’re reading this from the northern hemisphere, you’re just days from the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year. With limited daylight hours and long nights, you’re likely to find yourself sleeping more (or at least wishing you were.)

Every year, approximately 100 million Americans are on the move during the holiday season, says the New York Times, with 97 million traveling at the end of December, alone.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-i) is a technique used to combat insomnia by helping patients get to the root of their sleep issues and learn how to control anti-sleep thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. 

The holiday season is rapidly approaching, bringing with it decorating, shopping, parties, travel, preparing meals, eating meals, and more. Sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. At such times, it may be tempting to make time by sleeping less. There are those old sayings, after all: “You can sleep when you’re dead” and “You snooze, you lose.”

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine,  sleep disorders affect men and women differently. What’s at play? Physical differences, lifestyle influences, aging, and more. Recognizing these gender-related factors is important so we can better understand and treat sleep concerns.

Calling all women in their 40’s and 50’s! Did you know that insomnia can be one of the early signs of menopause? Indeed, according the National Sleep Foundation, up to half of all menopausal women experience sleep complications. That’s compared to 15% of the general population. As many as 61% of post-menopausal women report insomnia symptoms. Here’s what’s going on, what to watch for, and how to get rest despite it all.

When I can’t sleep, I’ll try almost anything. But I also don’t want to waste my time on something if it’s simply a passing trend or old wives’ tale. Which got me thinking… Do any of those sleep-inducing remedies my parents talk about really work? I did some research to find out.

If you’re struggling with your sleep, or with lack of sleep, the good news is that you don’t have to go it alone. There are professionals to help and you’ve got options. Here’s how to get started.

Bad dreams, nightmares, and night terrors… Sometimes, sleep can be a little scary. But understanding what’s going on and the different types of night frights can help. I, for one, always feel better when I can put a name to a phenomenon. The right vocabulary can also be useful when you’re discussing sleep concerns with your doctor or sleep therapist.

When someone mentions a sleep disorder, most of us think of insomnia (not being able to get enough sleep) and, maybe, narcolepsy (not being able to stay awake). But there are actually many more types of sleep disorders out there — more than 100 different types of sleep disorders, in fact. Two general categories of these are called circadian rhythm sleep disorders and excessive daytime sleepiness disorders.