WINNIPEG

Younger people developing sleep disorders

ctvwinnipeg.ca Published Monday, August 18, 2008 10:30AM CST

Text:

Everybody wants a good night's sleep, but for many Manitobans it's just a distant dream.

A recent University of Manitoba study shows sleeping problems are hitting people at a younger age.

"About 30 per cent of the general population have insomnia or sleep problems," said U of M sleep expert Dr. Diana McMillan. "If you look at people with pain or other health problems, those rates can increase significantly."

"One of my students did a study this year looking at first year students, and 74 percent had sleep problems," McMillan said.

Experts are also seeing the ill effects of sleeplessness among younger children.

"Kids can certainly become irritable, they may be prone to more aggressive behaviour," said Dr. Charles Bae of the Cleveland Sleep Clinic "There have been numerous studies that have found a link between not sleeping enough and attention problems."

There may be some situations where drugs may help, but some sleep experts say there are more cost effective and drug-free strategies you may want to use.

Dr. McMillan recommends going to bed at a reasonable time, unwinding about an hour or so before bed, getting regular exercise (but not too close to bed time) and having a good diet that avoids large quantities of caffeine and alcohol.

Noise machines can be effective

Consumer Reports recently ran a study on the effectiveness of sound machines. 70 per cent who used them found them effective

Consumer Reports tested three machines on the white noise setting.

"Their favourite was the Brookstone Tranquil Moments Sound Therapy System. The downside is its price -- around $130," said Consumer Reports' Tod Marks.

The experts CTV News spoke to say using the television for background noise can be jarring -- with pauses and then sudden rises in volume between programs and commercials.

The say a better option would be to use a fan or focus on an air conditioner.

They sound similar to sound machine's white noise settings.

According to a recent Consumer Reports survey:

63% of people surveyed who took medication to get to sleep experienced side-effects:
13% experienced dizziness
15% experienced memory loss
24% experienced dependency on the drug they took
37% experienced daytime drowsiness

And in another Consumer Reports' survey

People with chronic sleeping problems experienced bizarre side effects because of medication: