I have sleep apnea, but I know plenty of people who have insomnia. Patricia Morrisroe’s new book explores the increasing incidence of insomnia in America and the world over. A fourth-generation insomniac, Morrisroe explores the scientific, cultural, and business aspects of insomnia. There are 40 million American insomniacs…and the number is growing. As part of her research, Morrisroe spends a night in a sleep lab (didn’t work), tried various “sleep comfort” mattresses (didn’t work), and various sleeping pills (side-effects). Morrisroe finally finds sleep at last, but her moving memoir details her struggle to find meaningful answers to her problem. If you have insomnia, or know someone who does who needs help, this book might provide some insight and relief. GRADE: A-
I should have Jackie read this as she has suffered with insomnia at times over the years.
Jackie would find WIDE AWAKE an informative book, Jeff.
You know I have never heard of anyone helped by those sleep labs. A real bogus industry. I’ll pick this one up for sure. Thanks!
Tell me this isn’t weird. Same title, same cover but different person. I think I saw this one on PBS. http://encore.gp.lib.mi.us/iii/encore/record/C|Rb1469661|Swide+awake|Orightresult|X5?lang=eng&suite=def
Interesting, Patti! Insomnia and sleep apnea are in the news plenty.
I only suffer the occasional bout of insomnia–usually related to something I can definitely pinpoint, such as when my husband is traveling (I never sleep well when he’s not home)–but my father is a life-long sufferer. One of the constant memories of my youth was waking up at 3:00 AM and hearing the television (in those pre-24-hour cable days, it was usually the white noise of the static that woke me up) and going into the den to tell my dad to go to bed. Even today (he’s in his mid-70s), I bet he gets no more than four hours of sleep a night.
I have the opposite problem, Deb. With sleep apnea, I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. I don’t know which is worse.
I don’t have insomnia, exactly, but it takes me a really long time to fall asleep, and if wakened it takes me a really long time – again – to go back to sleep. By a really long time, I mean 30-45 minutes. Since I’m a light sleeper, and noises like a car door slamming or car alarm going off, a neighbor’s alarm clock (!) going off, or even one of the cats walking on me will wake me up, it means I have two or three of these wake, wait, sleep events per night. I seem to sleep best in the early morning hours, and I fall asleep easily in the afternoon for my 1 hour nap, for some reason.
You seem to have no trouble falling asleep at Nap Time, Rick, because you’re exhausted from all those wake-ups! Once I’m asleep, it takes a nuclear exposion to wake me up. Oh, and by the way, I’ve taken another step toward Madness by signing up for that MONDAY MAILBOX feature. It’s scary how many books arrive at my house each week. You’ll see!
Usually I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, or within a few minutes. If I wake up within the first several hours I don’t have a problem getting back to sleep, but for me the witching hour (so to speak) is 4 a.m. If I wake up at around that hour it can take me up to an hour to get back to sleep. I don’t know why that is, but it is.
Rick, Jackie is somewhat like you in that it takes her a long time to fall asleep and she sleeps the best in the early morning hours, which is why I’m often up by 6 and I let her sleep until 8:30 or later.
You are a kind husband to let Jackie sleep in, Jeff. After all those years when she had to get up early (like Diane) she deserves to sleep as long as she wants. Diane used to wake up at 5:45 A.M. to get ready to go to work. Now, Diane might sleep in to 8 A.M. but rarely later than that. I, of course, could sleep until noon.
George – that’s great that you’re going to be in the Mailbox Monday thing! I look forward to those posts.
Wife gets up at 5:00 every weekday morning (5:45 on weekends) and I wake the minute she moves out of bed. No matter how quiet she is, I hear her leave for the gym, come back, run the shower, open and close the closet doors, whatever. Sometimes I get back to sleep when she leaves around 7:00, most of the time I’m completely awake long before then and I’ve already gotten up. I haven’t slept past 8:30 in twenty years, unless I’m sick in bed.
Trust me, Rick, if you develop sleep apnea, you’ll be sleepy ALL THE TIME. MAILBOX MONDAY is going to be like me saying, “My name is George and I’m a hopeless book addict.”
You need to get Andy on Mailbox Monday, George.
Then again, there might not be enough room.
😉
I may have to break the Library Book Sale buy into two or three MAILBOX MONDAYS, Jeff. The Library Book Sale season is just starting up here (it usually ends by September).
Thanks for hipping me to this. Hopefully it is on audible, so I can fall asleep listening to it.
Did you try the CPAP machine, George?
I’ve been using a CPAP machine since 1995, Seth. I probably wouldn’t be alive today without it.