A writer for Prevention shares her insomnia diary.
I seem to be struck with insomnia, a sleep disturbance that chronically plagues about 10% of the population, according to the CDC. And this happens to me frequently, most nights of the week. Normally around this time I’d take a sleeping pill like zolpidem (Ambien) to get myself to doze off, but lately I’ve been resisting. I don’t like to rely on artificial ways to force myself to sleep, and besides, research has shown women appear to be more susceptible to its effects, which is why the FDA recently recommended we halve the dose.
I fight back the urge to grab my phone and start scrolling through Facebook posts, as I know the blue light it emits can impact sleep. So I get up and go downstairs to read the latest copy of Us Weekly in dim light. It works: Within about 20 minutes, I start to feel tired, so I go upstairs and fall asleep within minutes.
Read the rest at www.prevention.com
