Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: tina tighe on 19/07/2008 10:40:58
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tina tighe asked the Naked Scientists:
I have questions about sleep/insomnia. I have had sleep problems:
For most of my life, I slept 7-10 hours a night (sleeping in on my days off), with no afternoon naps. Grandually I slept less. For several years I slept 1 1/2-3 hours a night (wide awake the other 20+ hours), then reversed until I was sleeping every time I stopped being busy.
(Fifteen hours would leave me awake but able to sleep more, and work was severely affected.) Now, I am back to sleeping 3-4 hours at night (ready to sleep again an hour before I get up for work), and will sleep for 2 hours after work. (Still not a normal pattern of 7-9 hours straight.)
What may be causing this 'broken' sleep cycle, and how may I fix it? (I already take L-tryptophan and 5-htp, and am considering melatonin, to help with sleeping better if not longer.)
I realize you're not sleep doctors, but I am looking for ways to eliminate the early hour's wake up.
Great show (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/), by the way; love the accents, kitchen science, and wide array of topics.
Thanks - Tina
What do you think?
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HI Tina
Your body is aware that sleeping horizontal is unhealthy. You reject this without realising consciously that you should not be sleeping this way at all.
Recent research is revealing some positive improvements with irregular sleeping by tilting the bed we sleep in to a five-degree to the horizontal head up angle affording a level but tilted sleeping platform. Using blocks, bricks or plastic risers the bed is elevated by 15 cm’s or 6 inches at the head end.
To understand more about this you will need to google “inclined bed therapy” There is a lot of information and some case histories that should provide you with the information you are seeking.
Also search the Naked Scientists forum for information about Inclined Bed Therapy.
Andrew