WE don't know why we sleep, only that we must. A failure to sleep can result in irritability, loss of brain function, and in extreme cases, death.
The problem of long, sleepless nights are exacerbated by the lure of the Internet, according to West Vancouver psychotherapist Michael Pond.
"We have so much more electronic and technical stimulation now than we used to have. People are up late at night with their face in a monitor," he says. "It's becoming quite a big problem."
Speaking from his Park Royal practice, Pond discusses the broad range of bloodshot-eyed patients who have sought his help for sleep disorders.
"You can develop a sleep disorder at pretty well any age. I've seen children over the years, young children, even preschoolers, that have sleep disturbance," he says. "Sleep disturbance doesn't discriminate by age."
Recurring nightmares, night terrors, and a perpetual inability to drift off can all point to a sleep disorder, according to Pond. In strictly medical cases, Pond says insomnia is frequently a side effect of antidepressants, cold and flu medicine, and blood pressure medicine. However, many of the psychotherapist's patients are grappling with emotional or psychological problems.
"By the time they get to me they've talked to their doctor about it and the doctor has generally ruled out any of those more medical issues," he says. After a lengthy assessment, Pond attempts to rule out other likely culprits such as asthma, thyroid issues, gastrointestinal problems, and restless leg syndrome. "To identify it as a sleep disorder it needs to be pretty chronic. It has to be happening three times a week and have been going on for two, three months," Pond says.
A lack of sustained, deep sleep can cause a myriad of problems, according to Pond.
"Their functioning just deteriorates at work and at home and relationships deteriorate. It starts to have a real snowball effect," Pond says.
In many cases, sleep sufferers lie in bed ruminating on the day's stresses, often exaggerating problems into catastrophes, according to Pond.
"It's not the time to get geared up and start working on your bookkeeping or looking at your financial situation and people tend to do that because it's quiet and they're alone."
Yoga, meditation, and abdominal breathing techniques can all help with relaxation and sleep, according to Pond.
"What you're doing is basically harnessing your body's relaxation response," he says.
Pond also puts an emphasis on establishing a strict association with the bed and sleep. "The bedroom's only for sleeping and sex. Don't read so much in there, don't watch TV, don't use your computer in bed, so you start to condition the mind, the brain, that my bedroom and my bed is to sleep."
