6 ADVANCED Strategies to Cure Insomnia (For Seniors)

About this video

• Video Title: 6 ADVANCED Strategies to Cure Insomnia (For Seniors)
• Channel: Sleep Doctor
• Speakers: Dr. Michael Bruce
• Duration: 19:40

Overview

This video by Dr. Michael Bruce addresses clinical insomnia, which is more prevalent in seniors. It differentiates between normal age-related sleep changes and clinical insomnia, then outlines six advanced strategies to manage and cure insomnia, emphasizing a multi-component treatment approach.

Key takeaways

• Clinical Insomnia vs. Normal Aging: Insomnia is defined by sleep difficulties occurring three or more nights per week for at least three months, impacting daytime functioning. Normal aging involves lighter sleep and more awakenings, which is not necessarily insomnia.
• Hyperarousal: A common cause of insomnia is an elevated level of physiological, cognitive, or emotional activation that persists day and night.
• Multicomponent Treatment: Combining various strategies is more effective than medication alone for treating insomnia long-term.
• Six Advanced Strategies:
  1. Sleep Hygiene: Consistency in sleep schedule, avoiding stimulants, establishing a relaxing pre-sleep routine, optimizing the bedroom environment, careful napping, and avoiding eating 3 hours before bed.
  2. Stimulus Control: Retraining the brain to associate the bed with sleep by only going to bed when sleepy, getting out of bed if unable to sleep within 30 minutes, and using the bed only for sleep and intimacy.
  3. Sleep Restriction Therapy: Limiting time in bed to match actual sleep time to build sleep pressure, with consistent wake-up times and gradual increases in time in bed as sleep consolidates. This is best done with professional guidance.
  4. Arousal Reduction: Using relaxation techniques like progressive muscle relaxation or diaphragmatic breathing (e.g., 478 breathing) to calm the mind and body.
  5. Pain Remediation: Optimizing sleep systems (pillows, mattresses), avoiding alcohol for pain relief, timing pain medication appropriately, and using hot baths before bed.
  6. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI): Identifying and challenging unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about sleep to reduce anxiety and frustration, replacing catastrophic thinking with realistic expectations. This is considered the gold standard treatment.
• Role of Healthcare Professionals: Doctors can help address underlying medical issues, and working with a sleep therapist for CBTI or sleep restriction therapy is recommended.