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Discussing Sleep Problems With Your Doctor

Summary & Participants

Millions of Americans don't sleep well. And many of them don't do anything about it. But the answer is as close as the telephone. Experts suggest that seeing a doctor is the best way to get sleeping back on track. Today there is a wide range of options to turn around the problem of poor sleep. Learn what's available and toss and turn no more.

Medically Reviewed On: May 07, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: Today many sleep experts suggest ways to change bedtime behaviors in efforts to improve sleep.

MICHAEL THORPY, MD: There are a lot of things that patients can do to help their sleep if they have sleep difficulties. We often call these under the name of sleep hygiene recommendations.

One of the most important ones is controlling the time of going to bed and the time of getting up. But there are others, such as avoiding caffeine, avoiding smoking, not having a large meal before going to bed, exercising in the early evening, not late at night. Not napping during the daytime.

ANNOUNCER: Experts often advise people to keep a record or sleep diary of their sleep patterns.

SAUL ROTHENBERG, PhD: What you keep track of, basically, is: how long it takes you to fall asleep, the time you get into bed, how many times you wake up during the night, roughly how long you're awake in the middle of the night, when you get up in the morning and how long you stay in bed in the morning.

ANNOUNCER: Yet while today there are many treatment options, it's often hard to decide when poor sleep needs the attention of an expert.

MICHAEL THORPY, MD: The first thing that they need to do is to look at the everyday factors that may be contributing to their disturbed sleep and see what they can do on their own part to make those adjustments. But if they don't make any headway with that, they should try to see a professional, their physician, as soon as possible so they can get more specific treatment, better understanding of the factors that are contributing to the sleep problem, and if necessary, get appropriate medications to help deal with their sleep problem.

One of the things that we've learned in recent years has been that the more a sleep problem continues, the more ingrained it becomes, the more people become what we called conditioned to that sleep problem so it's a regular, everyday habit. Just a bit like a snowball building up. It gets bigger and bigger as time goes on.

ANNOUNCER: And while sometimes it seems like poor sleep is just a fact of life, experts urge that addressing the problem can mean finally achieving that good night's sleep.

SAUL ROTHENBERG, PhD: The most important thing is not to give up hope and to recognize that sleep can be improved and is every day at sleep centers and through the help of primary care physicians.

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