Journal Sleep: Insomniacs are more likely to report a family history of the slee...(percent rate of first-degree relatives i...)

Date:12/1/2007

percent rate of first-degree relatives identified with insomnia lends additional support to the potential role of a familial predisposition to insomnia. More importantly, the presence of a past history of insomnia, either with or without current insomnia, emerged as a new and interesting candidate for future research examining phenotype and risk factors in insomnia.

Insomnia is a classification of sleep disorders in which a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early. These disorders may also be defined by an overall poor quality of sleep. Insomnia is the most commonly reported sleep disorder. About 30 percent of adults have symptoms of insomnia.

On average, most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well-rested. Adolescents should sleep about nine hours a night, school-aged children between 10-11 hours a night and children in pre-school between 11-13 hours a night.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) offers the following tips on how to get a good nights sleep:

• Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
• Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
• Get a full nights sleep every night.
• Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, as well as any medicine that has a stimulant, prior to bedtime.
• Do not go to bed hungry, but dont eat a big meal before bedtime either.
• Avoid any rigorous exercise within six hours of your bedtime.
• Make your bedroom quiet, dark and a little bit cool.
• Get up at the same time every morning.

Those who believe they have insomnia, or another sleep disorder, should consult with their primary care physician or a sleep specialist.

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Contact: Jim Arcuri jarcuri@aasmnet.org 708-492-0930 American Academy of Sleep Medicine Source:Eurekalert

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