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About Dr. Breus
Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., a Clinical Psychologist with a specialty in Sleep Disorders, is one of only 163 psychologists in the world with his credentials and distinction.
Dr. Breus is dedicated to informing the public and healthcare communities about sleep disorders and “disordered sleep” in a sleep-deprived society.
Americans aren’t the only
ones complaining of poor sleep, no sleep, and abysmal bed partners. News just
hit that the majority of Britons
are losing ground on the war against insomnia, too. When more than 3,000 adults
were quizzed about their sleeping habits in a survey commissioned by the
shopping channel QVC, the results were, well, eye-opening.
I still get amused by people
who think sleep is a state of
nothingness. Or that it’s a time when the body takes a much needed
time-out. On some level, it’s true that sleep is a break from busy wakefulness
for the body’s renewal
processes, but there’s a lot going on up in the brain to make sleep far
from a state of inactivity.
And there’s also a reason
why youngsters sleep so much that has everything to do with development and
high activity. In a
recent study presented by the University of Pennsylvania, researchers
reported on the value of sleep during early
life when the brain is rapidly
maturing and highly changeable:
You can be an avid marathon
runner, health food nut, gym rat, non-smoker, non-drinker, and even a
relatively stress-free lean person but still suffer the consequences of getting
less-than-adequate sleep in the form of a heart attack at a
young age.
Just ask Ranjan Das’s
family, who are still scratching their heads as to why he suffered
a massive heart attack at the age of 42. He was a young and popular CEO in
India and famously freakish about fitness. He seemed to do everything right but
sleep—getting only 4 to 5 hours a night when he really needed more.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
(CBT) just got another star for treating insomnia, especially for people who
suffer from chronic neck or back pain.
The study, published
online by the journal Sleep Medicine, indicates that CBT can help patients
who already are taking medications for pain and might be reluctant or unable to
take additional drugs to treat their sleep problems.
I’ve long believed in the
power of CBT. Exactly what is it? The gist:
It’s no surprise to me that another study
confirms what I’ve long known to be true: naps are magic bullets to dramatically boost and restore
brain power.
Recently, a little bit of good news finally surfaced in
the hunt for what causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS):
abnormal serotonin levels in the baby’s brain.
This mysterious condition
has long been a big black hole in scientific circles. Though rare, it’s one of
the most common causes of death in babies between 1 and 12 months of age. Now,
a group of Boston doctors has found a potential link between kids at risk for
SIDS and low levels of the
neurotransmitter serotonin, which controls breathing, heart rate, and blood
pressure during sleep. And too little serotonin could prevent a baby lying on
its stomach from waking up to turn its head and breathe fresh air.
Is there anything worse than a child who can’t
get to sleep? Okay, maybe a relentlessly crying kid whose having a temper
tantrum in public. But for parents of children
with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who can’t fall asleep
easily, there could be a new solution: melatonin.
A new study published recently
analyzed reams of data on the efficacy and safety of melatonin for treating
insomnia in children with ADHD and the authors indicate it can be a safe and
helpful way to improve the falling-asleep process for these young insomniacs. Here
is what they found:
Melatonin
is a hormone your body produces to help it regulate
your sleep-wake cycles; it usually starts pumping out of your pineal gland
after it has become dark outside and your body prepares for bedtime. When melatonin
levels in the blood rise, you begin to feel less alert and sleep becomes more
inviting.
Children with
ADHD usually have trouble falling asleep, which can have tremendous consequences to both their health and
family life. Less sleep means a less-than-optimal refreshment of the brain
and body during the night.
Giving 3 to 6 mg of melatonin within a few
hours of bedtime has been shown to help kids with ADHD overcome some of their
insomnia and improve their sleep. “Kids” in most cases reviewed in the study
meant 6 to 14 years of age.
But hold on: There were several things about this
study that would make me not just jump on the bandwagon to try Melatonin in
kids:
Melatonin is a
hormone, most kids produce plenty of Melatonin, it just might not be at the
time of day when parents want them to go to sleep.
We have no idea
what Melatonin will do to kids over the long term.
A dosage of
3-6mg is between 3 and 6 times the dose that is needed in adults - could this
be an over dosage?
While this research is very
important in our understanding of ADHD and sleep, I would not consider placing a child on Melatonin without working
with both a sleep specialist and the child’s pediatrician. There’s a lot to be said for
instilling good sleep
hygiene habits in your kids early on. They should be adhering to a
pretty strict routine every night that has them:
Performing the same bedtime routine every night (winding down, getting ready for bed, brushing
teeth, being read to or reading on their own, etc.).
Going to bed at the same time 7 days a week.
Avoiding stimulants within (at least!) an hour of bedtime. This includes
electronics and digital media like the television, computer, and cell phone.
If your kids don’t currently
keep a regular bedtime routine, start there. The best prescription for a good
night’s sleep could be in your children’s habits—regardless of any other
condition like ADHD. Besides, who wants their children to have trouble sleeping
before they even reach the throes of those oft sleep-deprived teen years? They
need all the sleep they can get.
